CUTTING A TRACK 183 



Eventually a track was cut to the Iwaka River, live 

 miles to the east of the Wataikwa. 



Some idea of the difficulty of cutting this track may 

 be learnt, when it is said that Rawling and Marshall 

 with three Gurkhas and five natives were occupied for 

 three weeks in cutting five thousand yards of the way, 

 and the whole distance of five miles was cut in five 

 weeks. Unfortunately it was labour in vain, the path 

 when finished was too difficult for men to traverse with 

 loads. We cut another track, which avoided the hilly 

 ground and brought us to the Iwaka close to the point 

 reached by the first ; by the new track, which was cut in 

 a week, we were able to reach the Iwaka in three hours' 

 walk from the Wataikwa. 



