On the Bead to Kimberley.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 4210, 11 October 1886, Page 2

On the Bead to Kimberley.

I'FBfiJf our Qebaldinb CobeespontPEify.J *

The following letter, dated “Kimberley Road, August 15th,1886„’ written by a party who left Geraldine and proceeded ttjjfj/? to the Kimberley Goldfields, per s.B, Triompt, has been reoeivedjby Mr J. Pye, Geraldine, atod

will be road no doabt with interest by oar Qeraldine and other readers No doabt a few lines from me, just to let yoa know the state of affairs here, will be something to talk over and compare with the reports you may read in the papers, for 1 have not the slightest doubt but that great exaggeration will be given in them. I will first describe as well as I can what 1 have seen of the country op to the present time. After leaving Derby we followed a track on the borders of the bash for aboat 16 miles. Then we entered the bash and from that time have been travelling through bush land. Now and again we might get a mile or two through an open space, but only at odd times. As a rule the trees are not very thick nor yet Tory large and the greatest part are gam trees. To my idea the soil is very poor, it being either red clay or sand. In places the road is very heavy for horses and drays, especially the first 80 miles, bat at the distance wo are on the road (about 140 miles from Derby) the roods are much better. 1 might say that all the road np to here has been very level, bat sometimes we had a slight rise to go over. It was far from steep and for the most not 200 yards in length. lam rather surprised at the road, as I did not expect to find it anything like it is. We have had plenty of water and feed all the way. Home days we ba v e to travel further than others to get a good camping place where (hero is plenty of water and feed. Where we find water is in deep places, what they call here “billy-bongs/’ Id some places they are nearly a mile long and in others they ore shorter, some .are from ten to twenty feet in depth and aboat the same in width. Generally where these places are we find plenty of grass. The greatest number of camping places are close by these “ hilly-bongs ” and also to the track* We do not travel far of a day. To-morrow evening we shall have been a fortnight on oar journey, and I reckon we shall then have travelled between 140 and 150 miles, or about 12 miles per day. We were cautioned against driving very far of a day as the horses would apt stand it, and wo bear now of a great many horses dying on the road belonging to those in front of os through this cause, We did not join Lakey's party as we at first intended. They left Derby a day before us, bat we joined the party that William Wilson and Herbert Nicholls are with, ; The latter desired to he remem* bered to yoa and all his old friends, bat I am very sorry to tell yon we have to leave him at the hospital at Derby, as be had tbo scarlet fever before we left, AH wore sorry to leave biin bat ft was the pnly thing to be done under the circumstances. His party intend to go back again after landing on the field, to bring another load of provisions, and they told Herbert to stop at Derby till they went back. Several persons who came over by the s.a. Triumph went back again and we have met many taming back. In fact some are doing so every day, and this is what I think (he papers will make a deal about, but I can tell yoa that those who are taroing back on the road are doing so for the simple reason that they have no looker. They started on the road thinking I have no doubt tj gst from those who bad plenty, hut mey were mistaken. Then again those who are pomingfdown from the field say it is no good, but my firm’belief' is that if they had tucker or money they w.ou'd not come back. Some are going back while others say they are not. We generally start a little after 6 o'clock in the morning, stop about 10, start again between 2 and 3 p.m., and stop again between a and 6 p.m. Yesterday while were damped for dinner three men came to dur Camp ; tws were riding on ponies and 3 mad walking jp Ifheir ' company, and a |rery pjl|fal tale they tpld ns. They said they left Derby the beginning of April last and had not been nearer than 40 miles of the diggings and were so far 00 their way back. At the time they left Derby there was no track, so anyone going up there fiad to find one for tfiginselvps. They reached the crossing of the FHgroy river in seventeen days. The two men who were riding went op by themselves and bad their horses loaded with provisions. The river crossing is about two hundred miles from Derby. How it appears that after they left there they wore both tiken. bad with fever and ague and got from bad to worse until they could not get their horses of a morning and bad stopped two and three weeks in one place, 1 seeing no one and too weak to go out to look for their horses. At the end of that tints ope of them would manage to crawl dint and get the horses and make another start.' Bomeilmes after'getting the horses they were too weak to pat on the pack saddles, so had to let the horses go again. The horses were hobbled and a bell attached to each, so they did not go far away. Sometimes they would travel for a day or two and then had to lay by-for a-week or more before they fehl'd.pf&wi opt tb gpt tfae fiofses agajnv Fancy being 'three fljonlfc(j‘ apd a half petween where we now are and 40 miles off the diggings and bad all the time, The young man who was with them bad acted the good Samaritan to them. He was coming down from the field and ■aw them and no doubt pitied their miserable condition. He assisted by getting their horses for them, lifting them on their saddles and cooking (heir food. The fever and ague had left them bat now they are very bad with dysentery and the oldest looks like a skeleton,’ They seemed very thankful for a'few smallV things we l gave Ihed).” f » .. »