IN THE FOREST 95 



out such rain if the camp had been in the 

 open. 



September 1st. The rain stopped about 

 5 a.m. but the trees and undergrowth were 

 dripping and a bad wet march was before us. 



Getting away about 8.30 a.m. it was always 

 difficult to get the men to make an earlier 

 start we were soon wet to the skin. Smith, 

 having got the compass bearings of the river, 

 tried to find a better route than that he had 

 taken the day before; but towards the end 

 of the march we hit on a very bad windfall 

 on the slope of a steep hill. Giant trees lay 

 in a dense tangle, over, under and across 

 which we had to make our way. It was timber 

 crawling at its worst, and the trunks of the 

 trees being covered with damp, slippery moss 

 made the going really dangerous at times. 

 Unfortunately I was wearing a pair of strong 

 shooting boots with Scafe's patent rubber 

 studs instead of nails. They had no hold 

 on the slippery trunks of the trees we had to 

 cross ; the result was a bad fall and a sprained 

 knee which caused me great pain and discom- 

 fort for the rest of the trip. I shall never 

 forget the end of that march, for my knee 

 kept giving way, and I stumbled and tumbled 

 about till I was covered with bruises. 



We made the Kitsewa River after six hours' 



