Page:Banking Under Difficulties- Or Life On The Goldfields Of Victoria, New South Wales And New Zealand (1888).pdf/133

124 Nelson, paid periodical visits to the Coast, and on every visit sold a small parcel of gold, say from 4 ozs. to 6 ozs.; where he got the gold from no one could tell. He had no store, but he just came by steamer and went away again. Some time after the robbery, say two years (I don’t remember the exact time), there was great excitement one day at the Waimea, a large quantity of gold having been discovered in a stump. It was found in this way:—Some men had been felling a tree, which fell across a hollow stump, on looking into which, the man cutting it up saw what he took to be a speck of gold. He put in his hand, scraped away some chips, and came across a patch of gold—some 60 ozs. or 70 ozs., which I firmly believe was the balance of the gold stolen from Walmsley. The hollow stump was no doubt the place into which it had been put at first, and from whence N obtained the small parcels which he sold. Some cruel reports were spread abroad regarding the gold robbery. One was that a sham fight had been got up. Both of the bankers had left their treasure to see the fight, during which time the valise had been stolen. In these days a fight was no novelty, fighting being the order of the day. The great difficulty was to get anything to eat, which was what I was looking after at the time of the robbery.

On the 3rd of September in the same year (1865) Walmsley was stuck-up between Notown and the Twelve Mile by five armed men masked, and robbed of 824 ozs. of gold and £1000 in notes; total value, £4000. He left Notown early in the day, accompanied by William O’Brien, a packer; the gold being divided, O’Brien having 800 ozs. and Walmsley 824 ozs. The road they travelled was down the bed of a creek; thick bush on each side. When about half way he was suddenly surrounded by the robbers, and pulled off his horse before he could even make an attempt to draw his revolver. O’Brien, who was some yards ahead, and hidden from his view by the roundings of the creek, had a gun suddenly presented at his head by one of the gang, who, in presenting it, stumbled and fell. O’Brien put spurs into his horse and galloped away, and so saved 800 ozs. of gold. Walmsley saw nothing of this, and rode into the midst of them. They surrounded him, and had him off his horse in a twinkling. First of all they took away his revolver; then possessed themselves of his treasure. Walmsley turned round to have a look at them to see how they were dressed, so that he could recognise them again, but two of the number drew revolvers, which they placed at his head, and swore that if he moved one inch they would blow his brains out. O’Brien only saw one of the party, and was not sure that Walmsley had been stuck-up until he rode into the Twelve Mile and reported the affair at the camp. The police—old Nelson identities—were quite unprepared for any such emergency, and took fully an hour to get ready for the pursuit. Of course such a start in so thickly-bushed a country