Page:Banking Under Difficulties- Or Life On The Goldfields Of Victoria, New South Wales And New Zealand (1888).pdf/124

Rh was likely to be for days, and my key lost. In this state of suspense I remained until Wednesday evening, when, by good luck, a Maori, in a canoe, called in on his way to Teremakau. The river was anything but safe. However, I was in such a state of mind that I would not lose the chance of getting down, so left Nobby to he sent after me. Off we went. I did not relish the trip, but I sat down in the bottom of the canoe and remained perfectly steady, and trusted entirely to my Maori friend. I did not even ask to get out at the “Devil's Elbow,” and in less than half-an-hour I was safely landed at Teremakau. Paid the Maori his fare—£1—and marched up to the store. Here I saw M‘G, and after a while said, “By the way, did I leave a key here?” “Yes,” said he, “Dan found it on the table immediately after you left on Friday, he did not know whose it was and hung it up inside” (pointing to the bedroom). I went in, and, sure enough, there was the missing key. I opened the safe, which, as I said before, was a small one, and in which I left several hundred ounces of gold, and £2000 in notes. The treasure I had packed away at the back, and the few books I had in use, piled up in front. On opening it everything appeared to be as I left it, so I locked up, determining to go down and balance up after tea. This I attempted to do, but a lot of drunken men coming in I had to give it up.

That evening I went to Broham’s tent, where I slept; of course I told him about losing the key, finding it again, &c. Some time in the night I awoke with severe pains in my stomach; I was regularly doubled up, groaning and perspiring with pain. Broham knocked up Cooper and sent him to M‘G’s for some brandy (real poison it was), and gave me nearly half a pannikin full, which I drank. This had the effect of sending me to sleep, and I slept soundly until morning. I got up, and after breakfast tried to get to the store, being anxious to balance my cash, but finding myself too weak, returned to the tent, where I remained the whole day. Next morning, feeling better, I went down to the store, wrote up the books, counted the cash, and balanced. I was truly delighted, and went home to Broham in great glee.

A day or two after this the Nelson arrived at the Grey. I took what gold I had to that place, and weighed it at Horsington’s. I could not weigh off at Teremakau, my scales only weighing a few ounces at a time; my large scales I kept at Greenstone. Horsington assisted me to weigh off some hundreds of ounces; when I totted up the total, I found I was something like 85 ozs. short. I said to him, “This can never be, we must weigh it over again.” We did so, but with the same result. I did not know what to do; however, before sending it away, I determined to ride back to the Teremakau and have a look in the safe, thinking I might possibly have left a lot in it—no such