TALES OF THE COAST.

Inangahua Times, 19 January 1880, Page 2

TALES OF THE COAST.

By Fbond.

By this time we were all well satisfied from the prospecting we had given the hills and gullies, that there was not gold in sufficient quantities to pay, and we made up our minds tbat this would be our last night in camp. Bill Crang was the only one of our party who had not contributed his experience, and we all called on him to come out of his shell and give ns something fora wind up. So, nothing loth, Bill commenced in the following strain : — " Like Sam's, the opening of my story will be in Otago, previous to the discovery of gold on the West Coast. I daresay some of you remember the accident on the Shotover, when, one night a number of men, who were all in tbe same hut, were swept over the terrace by the rush of water and drowned. It happened as well as I remember in this manner. Near one of the busiest spots on tbe river, a small, steep, tributary from the hills joined the main stream. Upon the point formed by the junction of the two streams, a hut was built, and occupied by a party of men who had a churn on tbe beach. On this particular night the rain came down in torrents, and had been doing for the greater part of the day ; the riyer rising steadily, and sweeping away crates, wheels, boxes, and levelling paddocks and tail-races in its bed, as if an hour's labor had never been spent on it. During the night some of their neigh" hours who were not so well housed came to the but, and part of them remained ; there being eleven in it at tbe time of the accident, Some distance up the little creek, which bad now become a foaming torrent, tbe heavy rain had caused a large slice of the hill side to slip away, and form a dam across the bed of stream, and for a time completely stop the passage of the water. Gradually it rose, however, the mass of earth damming the waters back until they were on a level with the embankment, when the water running over the loose soil rapidly cut deep channels in it ; and the outlet every moment getting larger, stones, water, soil, like an avalanche, moved bodily down tbe gully, burying and sweeping everything in its progress, and oarrying the hut and all its contents over into the river below. The whole of the inmates were lost, and there

was a scene of mourning; along the river for some days'trying to recover the bodies. Among those who then so fatally met their death, was a digger of the same name as myself, though not in any way related or acquainted, and it is upon this similarity of names that my story turns. At the time of the accident I was working in Dome Creek, and had written home to my people before leaving Invercargill that _ was going up in the neighborhood of Lake Wakatip and the Shotover, and the news of the accident travelling home, and my name being amongst those of the killed, they naturally concluded they had heard the last of me and went into mourning. Owing to the rough weather, sometimes the depth of snow, and the abscence of tracks to our creek — our supply of newspapers was very pre* carious, and it so happened that tho copy containing the names of the killed in this accident never reached us, and I was in total ignorance of the fright they were undergoing at home. Some months after tbe accident I left the creek, and Otago as well, and went round to Christchurch, and on to Nelson, where I spent a few months pleasantly. Upon first arriying in Nelson I wrote home, desiring them to forward their letters to that place, but before the time arrived for an answer I was away to the Coast. At this period the prospects of the West Coast were at their highest, and there was a steady flow of people to it from all parts ; every steamer from Nelson being crowded with passengers. During tbe day and half we were making our passage to Hokitika, I conversed with many of those who were bent on the same errand as myselt ; one particularly, who doubtless from my speech recognised me as a countryman, and with whom I had several conversations about home, and other matters. When he was enquiring about my family, my name, and so on, questions to which I gave unreserved answers *, a stranger, who from his position could not but hear every word that passed, gave me a long and curious look, and as soon as our cons versation dropped moved away. From his appearance I took him to be a newchum, and tried to think what remark bad passed to make him look so strangely, but could recall nothing and I thought no more of the incident at tbe- time. The steamer arrived off the bar tbo early on tide to enter and dropped. anchor outside —a surf boat coming off to take the mails and any passenger who care to pay for going ashore. A few took advantage of this, the man who had noticed me so strangely being one of tbem. When the tide made, we weighed anchor, crossed the bar, and ran safely up to the wharf, where a great crowd was congregated to see us land. I had my luggage ready to pass ashore, when a hand was laid some* what heavily on my shoulder, and look* ing round, I found myself in the grasp of a trooper, who gave me to understand I was arrested on a charge of false imper« sonation ; and from amongst the crowd, who seemed quite as much surprised as I was myself I wis hurried away to the lock-up. When there, the stranger I have alluded to, presented himself, and preferred a charge against me of false impersonation, and appropriation of effects ; and being myself a stranger, in a strange land, bail was refused, although proferred to a large amount by my mate • and I had to pass the night in the cell with not the pleasantest of companions. Next morning I was brought before the Magistrate ; but I will not give you the evidence, if such it could be^ called, that the stranger brought againsfl me, but tell you tbe story in my owfl way. The stranger, as I have so fafl called him, turned out to be a school felW low of mine, but not having seen eacH other since we were boys at school, so^^H ten years before, we did not recognise b^H another. He was in London when i^H papers containing the names and detai^H of the accident on the Shotover arriv^^B and immediately forwarded it with^^J own opinion of the matter to my fe^^H who placed great reliance on his judgi^^H from the fact of his having returned h^^H j from that neighbourhood with a TargH sum of money. He had come direct from England to the Coast, but up to the

time of his leaving Home nothing further had been heard concerning my money, or property, I might have been worth, and Jack H — ——my old schoolfellow, being under the impression that some one near the scene of accident bad appropriated all, and everything, tbat belonged to me, promised my father he would not leave a stone unturned to get at the truth ; and overhearing my conversation on the steamer he felt confident he had obtained the right clue, and went ashore in tbe surf boat to give information to the police ; never doubting for a moment that the bones of the real Simon Pure were under the shingle at the Shotover. It was somewhat difficult for me to prove my identity, although my mate had beeu with me for a long time, and acquaint tances, who could prove that at tbe time of the accident I was in a different part of the Province ; also I bad letters and photos from all my relatives, but Jack demurred to this as evidence, for, as he said, they too may have been appropriated. What settled him most con clasively was my relation of tbe scrape we got into, and the thrashing we both got when caught stealing apples out of Farmer Thome's orchard. Upon hearing this, Jack withdrew all opposition, and almost hugged me in his arms ; and the worthy Magistrate convoyed us to a res*

pectable hotel where h^^^^^^^^^^H with our renewed frienali^H^^^^^H mail from Home brought le^^^^^^H in which they spoke of mine as^^^^H sage from the dead," and enclose^^^H cut from tbe Otago Witness, cont_^^^| full account of the accident, a_cr^H names of tbe killed ; my own amo^^| I hem. So it all came out right in^^| end, said Bill, and as Tim had^^| temerity to sing you a song of his^^| this being oar last night in camp, I mind doing the same. Since the evoH happened I have told you of, among! other changes was a spell at Reefto! where tbe fashion is In some claims t? work the whole twenty. four hours, divided into shifts of eight hours each ; and in the verses I shall give you I have endeavoured to pourtray the surroundings of the MINERS' NIGHT SHIFT. Approaching eve, with silent feat, All daily toilers kindly greet, Their labor done, they take with zest j The closing hours j for night means rest. But night, though either foul or fin', No labor checks within the mine, There, brawny arms both day and night, The golden treasures bring to light, Our noon, is when the starry train And midnight silence o'er us reign j Our eve, when from some branching spray The lively robin welcomes day. When morn's bright rays bathes all below We to our couches gladly go, For on our eyelids, pressing deep, Hath rested long the hand of sleep. Deeply we sleep but do not rest, Slumber hath lost its soothing zest, The breath of moro, and beat of noon Drives Morpheus from his kingdom soon A passing shout, an axe's ring, And daily cries keep gathering, o And troubled dreams the sleepers make To top and turn, and then awake. As up the hills the shadows creep, And unrefreshed we wake from sleep, The Mopoke's note, on the stilly air Bids us for work once more prepare.