to Greymouth, and placed him on board the s.s. Nelson, and he was taken to the Nelson Hospital, where he was carefully attended to and cured. The diggings turned out very well, and in a great many instances were very remunerative.
The greatest hardship that the pioneers had to undergo was the total absence of fresh meat. Wild pigeons and other birds were very plentiful, and were shot by the dozen, and boiled by the bucketful, adding fruit-tops called pick-a-pick, which, when boiled, made a splendid vegetable, and substitute for cabbage, and to which the population were indebted for the absence of scurvy during their constrained daily diet of salt meat for six months. The one and only theft committed up to the time of the great rush was by a Maori named Jacob, who was in the employ of Mr. Hudson. He entered a digger’s tent at the rear of Hudson’s store, at Hokitika, and stole a small quantity of gold. He was, however, caught with the gold upon him, and at once tried by a jury, and was sentenced to be tied up to a stump all night and hanged next morning. He was, as was thought, securely fastened to the stump, but lo! next morning Jacob was nowhere to be seen; how he freed himself never transpired. After a lapse of six weeks Jacob returned looking penitent, and seeking employment.
The greatest scourges on the opening of the Coast were sandflies and mosquitoes. They were quite unbearable. The only remedy the diggers could adopt to rid themselves of these pests was to rub the face and hands with bacon, which was by no means pleasant. With the increased facilities for communication with one point and another, it would appear strange to narrate in detail the numerous difficulties and hardships the pioneers of the West Coast had to contend against. When boats or bridges were things unknown, scarcely a day passed without hearing, “Poor so-and-so is drowned” in some creek or river. The wonder is that the number drowned was not greater. Many stout, hardy fellows were missed; lost in the bush and perished by starvation, drowned, or killed by accident,—for at that time there were no bushrangers on the Coast, gold not being plentiful enough to induce these demons of society to locate themselves in such a wilderness. The next important event that took place was the big rush to Hokitika, early in 1865, about which time Hudson made a visit to the place, and finding money was to be made there, and their business requiring the whole attention of himself and Price, they decided to close the store at Totara, which was done accordingly. Hudson then took up his abode in Hokitika, where he has remained ever since.
22nd November, 1864.—A young man named Shillingford, who arrived by the last trip of the Nelson, was drowned to-day at the second ford of the Teremakau. The poor fellow was on his way to the Greenstone, travelling alone, had mistaken the ford, got
