THE HIKUTAIA DISCOVERY.

Thames Star, Volume XIX, Issue 5815, 19 September 1887, Page 2

THE HIKUTAIA DISCOVERY.

ROUGH TRAVELLING- THE JUNC- . TION PAGAN'S BUSH STORE DESCRIPTION OF MARITOTO TOWNSHIP...,..BUSH PRICES A STIFF CLIMB MARITOTO PEAH..JUST-IN-TIME CLAIM MR HANSEN'S GROUND.

[by oub own bepobtbbV]

(Continued from our last.)

"At the conclusion of the korero with the Datives we re-monoted our horses, ani oommenoed our journey in the direotion of the " find." The weather being beautiful, the ride over the grassy plains of Mr Alley and the fern covered undulating lands of Major Peel, was delightful^ Upon entering the bush, however, the road —or mare properly speaking the beaten track—rendered it oeoesiary that the horses should prooeed at a walking pace, as i» places the mud was a foot deep, while the innummerable roots running through the ground made it compulsory to proceed cautiously. After leaving Major Feel's land, some two or three miles of undulating feru hills are traversed, »hf track running almost parallel with the telegraph line; and the Maritoto Creek —evidently the main tributary, of the Hikutaia— is crossed for the first time. This stream is one of considerable dimensions during the present season of the year, and varies in width from 10 to 20ft, while the water—as some members of our party can testify, having been submitted to several immersions—is 2or 3 feet deep in places. The bottom is composed of boulders of metal of all shapes and sizes, which is suitable for road-making purposes. The creek is very winding, and owing to its serpentine nature, the traveller is obliged to cross it folly twenty times before the junction is reached. We met several prospectors en route to the "diggings," two of whom especially attracted our attention. Each was oarryiag a " swag which could not have weighed Icbs than 50 or 601 bs, and although one could not help being sympathetic, yet it was impossible to repress a hearty laugh as they occasionally floundered in the creek, having missed their footing upon the round boulders, notwithstanding the stout staff which eaoh carried. Some* timei both, would be immersed sjmnV

taneously^ sod after plunging about for a tew moments would probably recover their lost equilibrium, when one of the number would be again compelled to involuntarily submit to another cold bath. Upon emerging from the, creek they had to tramp through about a foot of mud and slime, and it .is needless to say presented a pitiable yet withal amusing spectacle; but perhaps after going some SOft further it was again necessary to wade the creek, and the same process of immersion being gone through, they came out as dean as possible. However, we could not remain long with th«-m, although, as may be imagined, they were in a prayerful mood, so hurrying on our horses, we at last succeeded in reaching the Junction, which is denoted by a notice printed—or rather scrawled—upon a piece of board : "Junction."

Here Mr Fagan's bash store is situated, and ai it ii the only one in the neighborhood, a brief description may prove interesting. It cannot be said that it is of a pattern similar to those in Grahamstown or Shortland, as it is* of the usual primitive description, being built of nikau, and some 30ft long by 20ft wide. In one end I ii a bunk, upon which the weary traveller | is apparently accustomed to-throw himself immediately he arrives at the store, and to which the genial proprietor takes no exception. la the opposite end a fire is continually burning through the day, over which a " billy" is suspended, and visitors have only to wait a minute or two ere they are supplied with a large pannikin of tea, while a hard biscuit is also obtain* able. Then a few feet away from the store is what has been designated the "butcher's" shop. The roof is covered with nikau, the sides being open, and] in the centre of the " shop" is the usual butcher's block, upon which was lying a large piece of beef awaiting retailment to the customer. A small barrel was standing near the doorway, which soon attracted the attention of our party, some of whom emptied their pannikins of tea as quickly bb its heat would permit, in the evident hope of having a glass of beer. The proprietor was busy serving a customer with 12lbs of biscuits and lOlbs of butter at the time, but as soon as he was disengaged he was called on one side, whereupon something which to me was inaudible was whispered in his ear. Whatever it was, it had the effect of evoking a hearty outburst of laughter ffbm Mr Fagan, who informed the whole party that the barrel contained corned beef, which could be purchased at 6d per pound, and fresh beef7d. The disci plea of Bacchus saw the error of jumping too hastily at conclusions, and gratefully accepted another offer of a pannikin of tea. In the course of conversation I ascertained that sugar was 6d per pound, salt 2d, onions 4d, flour £1 per owt, potatoes 12s per cwt, while sardines, preserved meats, <tc, could be procured at similar prices. There are no streets in the embryo township of Maritoto, no "pub," nor any further stores, the only other " residence" being that of a party of pro?p.'ctors, who hfve erected a tent close by. ft is impossible to proceed farther on horseback, so leaving our horses at the junction, we substituted " shanks' " pony, and prepared ourselves for a climb of some 1000 ft It was certainly invigorating, and can safely be recommended to those desirous of a little exercise. The track is very steep, and ever and anon we would be almost up to our knees in mud, but at last the summit was attained. Here we paused for a few minutes to take advantage of a much needed rest, and gaze upon the beautiful scene which meets the eye in every direction. To the north is the Maritoto Peak, which is of considerable height, and towers majestically above the surrounding hills as though intent upon attracting tae attention of those who visit the locality. It is cone-shaped, the sides beingjroeky, without a vestige of vegetation upon them, save a few ferns which mey be observed clinging to the almost bare rock, while the top has the appear* ance of being cut off, as it is as fiat as a table. Flying from the summit is a small white flag, denoting that it is a " trig. " station. Beyond the peak are several hills and gullies, in which are numerous kauris, ratas,^&c., whilejhere and there the clematis, with its beautiful snowy white blossom, may be noticed creeping along the branches of the smaller trees and shrubs. In all other directions nothing buthills and gullies, with dense bush and foliage, meets the vision, the scene being a very pretty one. But we were obliged to wend our way onwards towards the goal of our ambition, and after several ascents and descents we at length arrived at the top of the bill, where what is known as the Just-in-Time claim is situated. This piece of ground is to the north-east of the Prospectors', and is owned by Mr James Darrow. It consists of about 20 acres, and is peg and peg with Meßrinn's. Our attention was first attracted to it by observing that a little trenching bad been done on the surface, in the bottom of which the sap of a reef had been exposed to view. It is impossible to estimate the exact thickness of the lode, but apparently it is 3ft or 4ft wide. The quartz, as I afterwards found upon visiting the Prospectors', is for the most part somewhat similar to that on the footwall of Meßrinn's lode, with which it is evidently identical, but this cannot be definitely determined until more work has ■ been done upon it and a survey made The quartz is rather hungry looking, but upon examining it carefully I saw very small black veins running through the stone, denoting the presence of silver, but there not being a dish at hand, I was unable to wash a prospect. Within the laßt few^days a track has been blazed from the top of the hill to the Prospectors, which greatly facilitates access to the " find," and after descending a steep hill, and then ascending some 100 ft, we arrived at Mr Peter Hansen's camp, with whom we were soon engaged in a oonfabulation. In view of the possibility that the Prospectors' ground might consist of more than 30 acres, he has taken up eight men's ground inside Meßrinn's pegs, and has also marked out a claim in another direction, hut do work has yet been done beyond blazing the track, erecting a tent, and the numerous other things necessary before prospecting can be commenced.

(To be Continued.)