Report of a Journey Around the World. 211 



present, and the worst part of John Knox presided. The theme 

 was the absolute need of mysteries in religion, and if the miracu- 

 lous birth of Christ, His resurrection and purchase of our souls by 

 His death was eliminated (which was quite possible by the rational 

 method) the Christian religion was not worth fighting for! The 

 claim was made that death was an eternal rest from labor! The Sun- 

 day dinner was at 1:30, and the day ended in hard rain. 



Monday. Nov. 4. Rain continued and we took the early train 

 for Timaru where we arrived at 1:37 and found some tea in a small 

 shop not far from the station. It was too wet to move about and 

 the accommodation at the station was nothing to speak of, but 

 luckily the train leaving for Fairlie at 3:55 was on a side track, 

 and we occupied our seats with some comfort until our arrival at 

 Fairlie at 5:30 where we found our room at the little Hotel Glad- 

 stone, whence our ride of ninety-eight miles to Mt. Cook was to 

 begin on the next morning. Early on the 5th after examining 

 the fine machinery (all American) in the company's garage and 

 securing our seats, Mr. Wilson in front and I directly behind him, 

 we started. The weather seemed brightening and before long 

 cleared. For miles there was a golden hedge of gorse or broom, 

 nor were these attractive shrubs confined to the hedgerows, but 

 appeared in clumps to brighten the rather dull landscape. At the 

 first "public" our two fellow-passengers were joined by an old fel- 

 low, and the three began a series of drinks that lasted as far as the 

 last "public" and reduced the two original passengers to drivel- 

 ling idiocy, while the old fellow seemed tougher and kept enough 

 sense to name the places to his drunken fellows, but he was left at 

 Pukaki where we found a good luncheon and were waited on by a 

 little daughter of our landlady, while our drunkards fortunately 

 lunched or drank elsewhere. The place of the old fellow was taken 

 by a fat little drunkard who continued much of the way with us, 

 and with tobacco and drivel made the journey as unpleasant as 

 sible. While the scenery was not attractive the first thirty 

 miles, it changed from Lake TekapO and we were soon in a ring 

 of snow-capped mountains, and these bright peaks continued to 

 Lake Pukaki and to the end. Just before we reached this lake we 



perhaps the most beautiful view of Mt. Cook (native Aorangi, 

 the heaven-piercer) across the water. The peak was clear and 

 the banks of cloud on either side were bright in the afternoon sun. 



I 359 1 



