"(IRACE J)ARLING." 143 



Stand on the snow much better that the shod horses, we under- 

 took to haul logs to the tent with lier, by the use of such girths, 

 straps, and ropes, as we could muster. This she did to perfection, 

 so that we soon had large roaring fires in front of the tents, in 

 which we heated large stones, which, when carried into the tents, 

 gave us plenty of heat under our canvas, without tlie Knglish- 

 man's chimney, or the Irishman's smoke. 



312. — Throughout the whole journey no horse faced a rough 

 river, or clambered a rock, or kept a track of brushwood over a 

 swamp so quietly as " Grace Darling." On one occasion some 

 -of the most gallant gentlemen in the party, gathered some large 

 bundles of a peculiar, dry, rattling grass, for the ladies beds, and 

 put tliem on the pack horses to carry to our stopping place. The 

 strange burden and noise alarmed the old pack horses and 

 started them otf, sending our pots and kettles flying on the " 

 track. 



Only " (irace Darling" could be got to carry such bundles 

 quietly. Indeed, nothing alive or dead turned up on the journey 

 that " Grace Darling" could not be got to quietly receive on her 

 back. 



313. — On our return to Nelson we eagerly inquired who had 

 broken in " Grace Darling," and were disgusted to learn that she 

 had never been in a breaker's hands, but had been bred by a 

 Maori, who broke lier in liimself. With all the pride of our 

 race, we thought it impossible that there could be anything to 

 learn about horse breaking fi-om a Maori, especially as horses 

 were comparatively new things to them. The Maori, too, who 

 bred her, lived nearly 150 miles from Nelson. Still we could not 

 get "( h'ace Darling" out of our head, and felt sure that there 

 must be something good about the way she had been handled, 

 and as we had to travel that way some months afterwards we 

 determined to call on her breaker. 



314. — We found a man worth seeing in every respect ; a fine 

 specimen of his fine race. A land owing chief, without any of 

 the besotted appearance of those who have used their wealth of land 

 to poison themselves with alcohol and to surround themselves 

 with vicious flatterers. 



