"PER PIGEONGRAM."

Waikato Argus, Volume VI, Issue 385, 21 January 1899, Page 1 (Supplement)

"PER PIGEONGRAM."

Ten miles back in theCoromandel Ranges and connected with the township by moms of a track which incorporated most of the objectionable features incidental to bush travel in Maoriland, was the mining' loaso of thn Hibernia and Holy Joe Amalgamated Gold Mining Company, Limited.

The whole surroundings of the mine, the columnar kauri trees, festooned with rata vine, the sweet odour of the flowering tawhara and tho resinous scent of the rniro berries, the bell-like note of the parson-bird and the hoarse * gasv-gaw ' of the monster parrot mingling with tho musical plashing of a hundred waterfalls, suggested rather a haunt of Diana than the man-burgled entrance to a treasurelove of Pluto.

Down in the gully below the mullock tips which marked the two drives was the crushing battery ; but on the particular afternoon of which I write the water wheel turned idly and awakened no response from the Titanic stamps within. Tho battery had, in fact, been ' hung up' for a month, as the rich shoot of ore in the first level had beea wrought out, and no moro quartz would bo available until tho reef had been reached at the lower level. This was being pushed on as fast as hammer and gad and brawny Cornish arms could pierce the standstone. Two men stood at the door of the little battery office. Ono was speaking. A somewhat remarkable personality ! Short, sturdy, and bow-legged he was, his chin adorned with a shabby grey "goatee," an appendange oddly out of keeping with an absolutely uufurrowed face, and a head so destitute ot hair that ext-emo juvenility, rather than senile baldness, was suggested. He was tho chief director of the miue, and thlistcncr was the mining manager. • Stright fair an' square minin' is all very well in its way, William John Tiegonning—all very wall in its way. But, William John Tregonuiug, that's if a man is satisfied wi' half profits. I allow that you can work the mine alright. You know all about stopin', an' cross-cuttin', an' all that, an' you can judge ore as good's any man. on the peninsula, but, by the Earl of Hell's ridin' boots, what do you know about the market end of the menagerie ? What do you know about ' futures '? What do you know about ' corners' f And Ezra Benton (that was the name of the baldheaded oracle) paused for want of breath, or, possibly, for lack of further illustrations.

Tregouning, a burly type of the Cornish mining "captain," dutifully admitted that in these recondite matters his experience was deficient, but hoped that '• Muster Benton would always find him ready to obey orders aud hold his tongue.' 'I don't hold with no swindling William John Tregonniug,' continued Benton, his remarks being partly addressed to his companion and partly an introspective soliloquy : 'l'd sooner be crushed under the balance-bob of the Big Pump than steal a speciment, an' as for takin' points about miners' rights or jumpin', or any of them marsupialities, I reckon it's beneath Ezra Benton. But, William John Tregonning, you can bet your shirt, or any part or parcel of it, that when a chance comes along to make a bit out of the market, as well as out of the mine—which chance we'll have soon as dammit—Ezra Benton's going to the right there !' Tregonning reflectively kneaded the ball of clay at his candle end, and said a little brusquely : ' Well, Muster Benton, p'raps ye'll tell me what ye be driving at. We ought to cut the reef in the low level this night shift. Looks like the skin o' the hangin'- wall in the face now. Am Ito break into the quartz or not?'

' An' let the shift come off and' tell all their cobbers in town whether its eggs or young 'un's? Not likely !' quoth Benton excitedly. 'That real's goin' to be broken into the daytime, an' early in the daytime, when there's a market ; and that reef's goin' to be broken into by two men only, William Johu Tregonning and Ezra Benton. As soon as the men tap quartz find 'em a job somewhere else. ' I'll be here first thing in the morniu' with the pigeons. My brother Wesley will be the only man in the town to get the straight griffin' an' he buys or sells just as the little bird tells him—which little bird will be one of my prize stock of Antwerp carrier pigeons, William John Tregonning. Little bird ! little bird ! ain't bad, ain't bad,' and Mr Benton chuckled at his conceit.

When the twain separated for the night Tregonuing had agreed to pool his substantial interest in the Hibernia aud Holy Joe Amalgamated Gold-Mining Co., Limited, with that of the still larger interest of Mr Ezra Benton. *lf she be a duffer,' reflected Tregonning, ' I won't be stuck wi' my shares like a drill in a fitchered hole !'

Down the township that self-same afternoon the plank side-walks were thronged with a perspiring mass of humanity in a perpetual simmer of excitement. The sole tropic of conversation was the prospect of the low level of the Hibernia striking tho golden shoot. Holders at a higher figure than the market-price fervently hoped so, of course, while those who had oversold on the chance of a goldless lode, offered silent supplications to their private deitv that the reef should be cut at a point where ib would be useless for any other purpose, but that of macademisstion. All knew that the problem would be answered in a day or so—perhaps in a few hours —and no one felt it safe to leave ' Corner,' as the principal centre of the exchange of shares was called. The old, hard-faced speculators endured the strain with a simulation of stoicism, but it was pitiable to watch the unconcealed anxiety of hundreds who had ' touched Hibernias just for a flutter,' and who had been dragged iuto the maelstrom of the boom against that valuab'e monitor known as one's ' better judgment.' Nominally the shares stood at 80s, but there was little buying or selling. The chances of a rise or fall seemed about equally divided, aud there was plenty of excited talk but \ery little business.

' Panicky ! remarked broker George Tattam to ' Centipede ' Wakefield—also on the Stock Exchauge. ' Terrible,' said the other, who owed his nom do bourse to the fact tint his first ' rise ' was made out of a lucky speculation in the Xantippe mine—and rca'ly the pronunciation wasn't a very bad shot at it—that is for the populace of a Mioriland frontier town. 4 Terrible,' he sighed, ' I ain't slept for three nights over my dollop. I've got 3000 scrip hidebibled in my pocket now, an' I've half a mind to quit 'em, even losin' a sprat a share on 'em.' ' I'm worse than you,' sympathised Wakefield. ' I bought a thousand at two quid, forward delivery. If they don't get the gold my next address will be 'Frisco. That sly old fox Benton has introduced carrier pigeousinto the game, and that psalm-singing brother of his, Wesley, will get the ne\V3 before anyone else. Old Ezra's philanderin' after the girl at Broomfield's pub, where he keeps his horse, and she told me that he's got a basket full of pigeons round there to

end news with. Blue ones with big wattles.'

' Well, all carrier pigeons that ever I see are blue with big wattles,' remarked Tattauham, snappily. 'They're just as much alike as two lumps of mullock or two women io the dark.'

'ls that so?' said 'Centipede.' 'My boy has got some pigeons—Antwerps he calls 'em--now if they're the same as carriers—'

' They are ! just the same,' said the other.

' Then Tattam, I've got au idea !' jubilated Wakefield ! ' A glorious idea! Strike me paralytic! But we'll work it together. Come into my office and I'll get it off my chest.' The adjournment was made, and a long whispered conversation took place between the pair, punctured with mauy half-smothered chuckles of delight from Tatcam, and much monitory cursing from Wakefield.

' Good night, old man,' said the ' Centipede,' at last, ' the birds will be at Broomfield's pub, for you at six iti the morning. You know just what to do.'

Next morning early Ezra Benton was superinteading the saddling of his horse at the rear of Broomfield's pub., at the foot of the ranges, when Tattam entered the bar with a small wooden box under his arm. On the counter was a basket left there temporarily by Benton, the cooing from which gave plain indication of its contents. There was not another soul in the bar but the barmaid, and Tattam briskly ordered ' over-proof rum please,' a liquid to procure which he knew would necessitate the young woman leaving the bar for a minute or so. During her absence Tattam expertly changed the pigeons in Benton's basket for a braes of birds from the dove-cot of Wakefield junior, and homed to the domicile of the astute' Centipede.'

Six hours later ' Centipede' Wakefield strolled into his confederate's office, and without siying a word, laid on the table before him a tiny scrap of tissue paper being the following message in Ezra Benton's almost microscopic caligraphy :—Dear Wesley,—The Lord has been good to us. We broke into reef at 9 a.m. Specimen stone trom wall to wall. Best thing since the Caledonian. Put deeds, scrip, and everything into the bank for security, and buy till the b—cows come home. Tattam has some, and Turtle, aud Hennelley, and Gellion. Take 'em all down.— EZRA.'

Tattam, whose besetting sin wa3 impulsiveness, grabbed his cheque book and made a bolt for the street door.

'The 'Centipede' throttled him and pushed liim roughly back to his seat. ' You d fool ! If I hadn't stopped you you'd have given the snap away by beefi' out that you were bnyin' 'Bernias at any price. You're a nice sort of a mate to have in a joint of this sort.' Mr Tattam straightened his necktie and expressed contrition. 'Now, listen to me,'said the'Centipede,' ' we've got the right office on the wrong birds. Au' of course we could go out and buy and treble our money before night, even buying at 325. But we're goiu' to bear them shares down till we can get 'em at a quid a hatful.' ' How ?' asked Tattam, blankly.

' Well, we're goin' to send ' Dear Wesley' the wrong office on the right piaeon—one of these birds that you collared this mornin' is goin' to request * Dear Wesley' to steal a few minutes from his sugar an' sand mixin' to unload Ezra's shares. I've got the numbers of their scrip, and as soon as Gellion and Hennelley aad the rest begin to come round with them I'll just say whose shares they are. But before we send this off to ' Dear Wesley' you may as well pop out and sell all we've got now, immediate delivery. Then wo can sit aud listen to the music. 5 Well, the forged message was winged off on its errand of destruction. Auon, above the din of the market rose toe cries of ' sellers.' Bernias 27s 6d.' Then a loud-voiced ' bull' shouted, 4 Here, I'll give 253,' but this well-meant effort to block the fall proved unavailing, as a chorus of fifty panic-stricken holders yelled, ' Dene,' or ' Here's 1000.' Down came the shares by half-crowns and crowns at a jump until at last frenzied holders were rushing about unavailingly offering their stock at any price. Mr Wesley Benton had cleared his brothel's interests before the panic had got fu'l sway, and felt it his duty to his neighbour to announce to all and sundry the purport of his brother's suppositious message. Messieurs ' Centipede ' Wakefield and George Tattam, it is needless to say, came on the market when it was at its lowest, and before nightfall they owned nearly three-quarters of a mine which in the ensuing twelve months paid £70,000 in dividends, and is still going strong.

What Ezra Benton said that night when he got back to town is quite unfit for publication.

The Hon. George Tattam is now a member of the Upper House, and when Sir Archibald Wakefield received his L.C.M.G he instructed his secretary to get him one of them there coits of arms fixed up, and to make 'em shove a pigeon on one side aud a centipede on the ochpr.

Whereat people who are not in the know greatly marvel.