CHAPTER XXI.
12th February, 1865.—At Waimea purchased 500 ozs. of gold; flour very scarce. As soon as the packers arrived at the stores, the diggers took possession of the flour, made up in 50lb. bags, for the convenience of packing. Indeed many of the diggers in their anxiety to get a bag, went down the road to meet the packers, took the flour off the horses’ backs, and carried it to the store on their own. A lot of drunken fellows about in the evening. Had hard work to get rid of them. The treasure, as usual, under my head.
18th February.—Broham, Walmsley, and self started with the gold to the mouth of the creek; the gold on pack horses, we following on foot. Had to “tramp it” to the Arahura, no horses having been sent to meet us. Drove from Arahura to Okatika in a bullock dray. Great excitement in town on the arrival of the escort.
At the Waimea there was a Warden’s Court, and, of course, a warden’s clerk. The gentleman holding that position had an excellent opinion of himself—so much so that he got up a petition from the miners of that locality in favour of his being made a live warden in the place of Mr. Warden Schaw. This little arrangement didn’t come off, and the warden’s clerk remained warden’s clerk still. But he had been in the habit of sitting “on the bench”—that is to say, in a place alongside the magisterial seat—and on the appearance of that most excellent magistrate, Mr, Warden Price, the following colloquy is said to have occurred:—Warden (observing the clerk sitting by his side): “Dear me, h’—m. Have you been made a J.P.?” Clerk: “N—o, sir.” Warden: “Then please take your seat below there” (pointing to the body of the court below the bench). Clerk: “But there is no table;” Warden: “Then get a carpenter to make one immediately, or get a box; get a box, sir!” And the ambitious clerk, of course, subsided. The sequel, however, is better than the story. The following day a brother of the offended clerk, who appears to have been in the Indian army in the capacity of a surgeon, called upon Mr. Warden Price, and the scene that occurred is related to be as follows:—Brother
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