146 FOREST SCENERY. [PART ! 



experience I always preferred sleeping in the open 

 air, or under my own tent, which I found by far 

 the most comfortable. 



Before sunrise on the 4th of December the ther- 

 mometer stood at 44. We took an east-south-east 

 direction, and after descending the hill we had to 

 pass a large creek flowing to the eastward. Our 

 road lay over gently undulating hills, which were 

 covered with a dense forest. The cabbage-palms 

 were the highest I ever saw. We passed several 

 other streams, and at noon halted at another plant- 

 ation belonging to our guide. He rested here 

 during the day to arrange our provisions for the 

 continuance of the journey. This field was situated 

 at the side of a river, which rolled over a pebbly 

 and rocky bed, and was canopied by the trees on 

 its banks. From the high tawai-trees 1 a graceful 

 moss hung down in long festoons. This creek was 

 the Mangorake, which we passed the day before. 



The temperature here at noon was 91 in the sun 

 and 72 in the shade, and I found the heat very 

 oppressive. 



I could not prevail upon Tangutu to start the 

 next morning, as this was his last plantation. The 

 sky was overcast, and he said that the weather 

 would be bad for several days. We had some dried 

 shark and potatoes, with maize, but not sufficient 

 to last us many days. Birds are everywhere scarce, 

 and too small to be worth powder and shot. One 

 1 Leiospermum racemosum. 



