The Luminaries

On April 27, Staines lost 13 pounds while gambling. Carver offers to sponsor him and pay back his gambling debts in exchange for half of his first claim and a portion thereafter. Staines realizes that Carver was the one who encouraged him to bet so much of his money, but he nevertheless agrees to the plan. Carver buys him a ticket to Hokitika on the Blanche, leaving on May 13.

Before Staines boards the boat on May 13, Carver asks him to watch a crate with Lauderback’s name on it. Carver says that if anyone asks for him, to say his name is Francis Wells, not Carver. Staines agrees.

Crosbie has bought another newspaper and learned that Lauderback is due in town that day. Lydia receives a package from the chemist. She claims that it is hair tonic and tells Anna to put it in her room. Anna opens the package and realizes it is laudanum.

Staines searches the trunk that Carver asked him to guard and sees that it only contains five dresses. Sook Yongsheng knocks on the door and asks to see Carver. Staines says he only knows a Francis Wells.

Anna and Lydia prepare for the party. Sook knocks on the door and Crosbie answers it. Sook asks for Carver. Crosbie says he doesn’t know anyone named Carver. Sook says the harbormaster gave him the address and shows him the letter about Carver’s whereabouts from the prison on Cockatoo Island. After he leaves, Crosbie reviews the shipping news for the day and sees that Carver is part of the Godspeed’s crew. He asks Anna if she knows anyone who was on Cockatoo Island named Francis Carver. She says she doesn’t, but that tells him that the captain of the Godspeed, Raxworthy, will be at that evening’s party. Crosbie realizes that someone “with a tarnished name” is using his papers to steal his identity to start a new life (747). He tells Anna that he is going to find Carver.

Carver, under the name Wells, confronts Lauderback at gunpoint. Lauderback insists he hasn’t seen Lydia in months. Carver implies that the shipping receipts show that Lauderback has been in contact with her, because Lauderback’s name is on the contract that has been paying for her dresses to be shipped back and forth. Lauderback asks if this has anything to do with Crosbie. Carver says he thinks Crosbie will drink himself to death. Lauderback asks if Raxworthy and Danforth, the shipping agent, are in Carver’s pocket. Carver replies that they aren’t, but that Lauderback is.

Later, Carver goes to see Lydia. He tells her that Lauderback signed the sale of the Godspeed over to him. Lydia tells him that Crosbie and Anna are together and that she laced their whiskey with laudanum. Carver goes into Anna’s room. Crosbie jumps on him and hits him on the head. He then asks Carver his name. Carver says it used to be Francis Carver but now it is Crosbie Wells; he says that he has shipped Crosbie’s gold offshore, using Crosbie’s name to do so. Crosbie knocks Carver unconscious and takes his knife and carves a “C” onto his face. Crosbie tells Anna to drink the laudanum so she can say she was asleep through this brawl. She gives him back the gold nugget he had given her so he can use it to escape.

Crosbie goes to the harbor. He tries to convince the customs agent to let him on a boat. The customs agent tells him a crate under his name has been loaded onto the Godspeed; he suspects Crosbie of trying to smuggle out gold. Crosbie insists that it wasn’t him who checked the crate in, but the agent remains suspicious. So, Crosbie asks the man to put the crate on the Blanche, which is going to Hokitika, so that it isn’t going overseas.

The events of Part 6 take place on June 18, 1865. This section begins with Staines in Hokitika. He sees a woman on the deck of a ship coming into the harbor. On his way to the bank, Crosbie stops him to ask for a favor. He wants Staines to bank the nugget on his behalf, since he cannot do so without any of his identity papers. Crosbie says the only person who can vouch for him is Anna, whom Staines does not yet know. He tells Staines that Carver stole his papers and his gold. Staines agrees to bank Crosbie’s nugget for him. Crosbie tells him he wants to buy land in the Arahura Valley to start a timber mill.

Anna arrives in Hokitika on the Godspeed captained by Carver. He has healed from the wounds Crosbie gave him, but he has a scar on his face. Meanwhile, Crosbie is looking for the crate that had been removed from the Godspeed and put on the Blanche on May 12. Lydia has sent Anna to Hokitika to work for Mannering and repay her debts to Lydia, since Anna slept with Crosbie. By this time, Anna has become addicted to laudanum. She disembarks the Godspeed and is met by Clinch, who offers her a place to stay in the Gridiron Hotel.

Staines sells Crosbie’s nugget at the bank. Everyone comments on how lucky he is. Staines then gives the money to Crosbie. Outside the bank, Staines hears that the steamer Titania, coming from Dunedin, has wrecked. Staines then sees Crosbie leave the land agency with an agent, presumably after having purchased land in the Arahura Valley.

Clinch and Anna are walking from the harbor to the hotel when she sees Staines standing outside of the bank. They are happy to see each other. Anna tells Staines she will be staying at the Gridiron. He asks if he can come see her there.

Carver asks Tauwhare if he has seen Crosbie, but Tauwhare has not even met Crosbie yet. Carver asks Tauwhare if he can see his greenstone club, which is called a patu pounamu. Tauwhare mimes attacking Carver with it and walks away.

Löwenthal is typesetting the ad that Carver has taken out about his missing crate. Staines comes in with his cut from the sale of Crosbie’s nugget. He asks Löwenthal what properties are currently for sale. Löwenthal tells him the Gridiron is for sale, and Staines buys it.

Carver doubts anyone will respond to the ad. He assumes that the crate with the smuggled gold is gone. He is sitting at the bar when Pritchard arrives and, seeing Carver’s frustration, offers to buy him a drink. Pritchard tells him he is a chemist. Carver asks him if he has a steady opium supply. Pritchard says he does not. Carver implies he can supply him with it.