IN THE WAKE OF THE GOLD RUSH

Evening Star, Issue 19776, 28 January 1928, Page 15

IN THE WAKE OF THE GOLD RUSH

The nine months that Captain Laldwin agreed to graze the 600 head or cattle to which I have referred hadnow expired. Edward and i, with tour other men, went to take delivery. We rested the horses a couple of days alter arriving at his station. On a Monday morning at 5 o’clock we set out to muster the country, rather to assist the station hands in collecting the cattle. It took us the whole day. The station men had gathered them in from the outskirts two or three days before, or we should have been much longerWe had them all together, 000 head, and at the homestead by 6 o’clock that evening. There was a full moon and fine night, so wo only stayed in passing sufficient time to have a cup of tea and something 10 tat, and on we ivent; drove all that i.’ght, all Tuesday and Tuesday night, and until 7 o’clock Wednesday evening without having the saddles off our horses or a wink of sleep. The country we passed over ivas hilly, with no safe camping ground to hold the cattle at night. The constant bellowing of cows on acount of losing their calves and seeking to find them prevented the mob settling, so we had to keep on moving. On Tuesday night, or during the night, we all felt the want of sleep and rest, and consoled ourselves that on Wednesday evening we should reach the Taiori Lake and camp the cattle on a promontory that ran into the lake, where they would settle and be glad of a rest as well. There was a solitary building not far from this promontory lielongmg to the Murisons and used as a woolslicd, and .here we intended to sleep. We reached thus far at sundown on Wednesday, hut when about half r mile from the shed wo saw six or eight diggers by the side of the building quarrelling and fighting, evidently drunk. As they were in > possession, "and having no desire to join their company, ire headed the cattle away to the lake, drove _ them on to the point of land mentioned, where they remained quietly all night. Thcv were too tired to attempt to stray back. As for ourselves, we boiled the billy, bad some tea, a piece of bread and moat, then lay down in the tussocks. I believe that we were all asleep in ten minutes, and did not awake until dawn of day on Thursday. I never before or since welcomed a rest more than t did upon this occasion. From d o’clock on Monday morning until 7 o’clock on Wednesday evening without a spell was fairly hard work. We left the Taieri Lake at sunrise on Thursday. That night we found a good camping ground, where we watched the cattle, three of ns doing this v4iile the other three lay in the tussocks'for half the night, when they were awakened and took their turn. Friday the drive was over very rough country, but we reached the main road to the Dunstan, constantly meeting diggers and wagons on their way up. At one spot wo saw six loaded drays at the foot of a steep hill without any bullocks attached, which puzzled us. When’we approached nearer we saw a long line of bullocks yoked and chained together pulling up a single dray. In passing we counted thirty-six of thorn. The reason proved to be that the hill at the bottom was too steep for a single or even two teams to obtain a footing to enable them to pull a loaded dray. It was necessary to make the team sufficiently long that the leaders and a few others could reach a less steep part that there was beyond tlm steepest; in other words, half the thirty-six bullocks were practically upon the top, and pulled up not only the dray, but the other half of the team. This gives one some idea of the difficulties attending the transport of stores to the diggings. \Ve had some work m getting our cattle past the drays, for we wore obliged, on account of the nature ol the country, to follow down the narrow range that the teams were going up; however, wo managed all right and camped Friday night in a similar manner to the previous one. Saturday it rained all day. We were between forty and fifty miles from Waikouaiti, and expected to reach Shag Valley Station that evening, where we knew that wo could secure a safe paddock in which we could put the cattle, and with another clay’s drive we could got to Palmerston. The cattle had by this time nemmo manageable and no trouble, io I, left Edward iu charged and pushed mi for Hawkesbury, which 1 reached that evening, glad indeed to get back. The cattle arrived on Monday. (To be continued.)