The Luminaries Part 6, Chapter 1 Summary

Fixed Earth (18 June 1865)

  • As of June 1865, Staines still hadn't made a big strike—however, he was doing okay with the digging in Hokitika.
  • On the day in question, he was walking near the harbor. He saw a ship pulling in and took notice of a certain girl on board.
  • A man stopped him and asked him to do a favor for him. He explained that his miner's right, birth certificate, and fortune had been stolen…and all he had left was this lousy gold nugget. He couldn't cash it in, though, without proper ID. So, he was asking if Staines would take it in and cash it for him, since he wanted to go buy some land.
  • When Crosbie told Staines his name, Staines remembered when Carver had him lie about his last name. He asked Crosbie if he knew Carver and then explained why he was asking and how he knew Carver
  • Crosbie confirmed that Carver was the one who stole his fortune. Emery agreed to go cash the nugget for him.