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Old Westland

began to come down freely, and all were satisfied; in fact, I believe the Greenstone was as good as any diggings afterwards found on the Coast. I have seen many of the crowd since who were in the circle to hang me, but I have not seen the Dutchman. Perhaps he did not forget the case of gin and kept out of the road. But the worst had to come, for in consequence of the disappointment I have narrated about the rush, I had ordered no more goods to be sent down. By the second arrival of the steamer there came more diggers, but no provisions, which we soon ran short of and I had to curtail the supplies of many, especially those who had been so hard on me. These I put on half rations until the Nelson returned once again. When she did arrive she brought my bullocks and dray, and with two horses and a mule I had purchased from Mr. A. D. Dobson, C.E., who had just completed the survey of the Coast, I sent goods to the mouth of the Taramakau, and up that stream to its junction with the Hohonu by canoe, a distance of about nine miles, from where they were carried by the diggers to the Greenstone Creek. I then opened a branch store at the Hohonu.

“After this I returned to Nelson by the first opportunity for the purpose of obtaining goods, and also to make arrangements for transport. I was greatly astonished on arriving to find myself an object of notoriety. It appeared that a report had reached there that I had been