Page:Banking Under Difficulties- Or Life On The Goldfields Of Victoria, New South Wales And New Zealand (1888).pdf/129

120 weather not being fine enough to allow the divers to go down. Teer went with the party, and is living in hopes of again visiting the spot and securing the gold. When washed ashore one of the fourteen had two dry matches. The fire that they lighted was sacred; something dreadful was agreed upon as the penalty for letting that fire go out. Drinking cups were scooped out of roots, and ropes were made of native flax. Wild pigs were plentiful, but how to get them was the thing, the party having no guns nor dogs. Teer invented something, which was no more or less than a barbed hook, at the end of a flax rope, baited; with this they caught as many pigs as they required.

About this time a new rush broke out at the Totara, sixteen miles south of Okatika. I went down to have a look at this, and found it was seven miles inland, and up a creek, called “Jones.” Here I found a calico township, but there not being much doing in my line, I did not make a long stay, but returned to the foot of the river the same evening, where I, in company with some packers, camped. I put a halter on Nobby, and tied him up. Next morning he was not to be found; he had bitten the rope through. I walked to Okatika, where I heard of him; he was at the “Arahura” on a patch of feed he had found out on the way up. On my second trip from the Totara I was detained on the South Spit for two days, owing to a heavy fresh in the river. I camped with Mayne (a storekeeper), and was provided with a rough stretcher, and was comfortable enough, as far as bed and bedding was concerned. The first night I went to bed expecting to get a comfortable night’s rest, but was sadly disappointed. As soon as I got into bed the mosquitoes came buzzing about, so I put my head under the blankets. In a few minutes I felt something heavy running over me. I jumped up and found the place full of bush-rats. I beat them off till I was fairly tired, and found that with these pests and the mosquitoes, there was but very little chance of getting any sleep, so I took my blankets and went down to the beach, where I lay on a couple of logs, with a piece of wood for my pillow.

On my return to Okitika I received advice that an assistant (Mr. B) would be sent me from Dunedin. The poor fellow never reached the Coast. He was drowned in the City of Dunedin on her way from Dunedin. She must have foundered, as she was never seen or heard of after leaving Wellington. A young man named Kempthorne was sent down, but as he was suffering from a severe attack of asthma, I sent him back by the same steamer in which he came. He, poor fellow, was drowned some years after in the harbour of Dunedin, while boating with two or three others. The boat capsized, and he, although a good swimmer, was drowned. His body was never recovered.