14 
tlie crest of such a range as that. He would certainly starve to death; 
Passed piles of huge rocks covered by ferns and flowering orchids, 
and through groves of magnificent palms, and fioally camped at 3,100 
feet on a densely timbered peak. Temperature at night, 58 degrees ; 
noon shade, 72 degrees. 
On the 8th we continued along the crest of the range towards the 
east until we reached the summit of the mountain overlooking Swallow's 
plantation at a height of 3,640 feet. Descending on the eastern slopes 
of that mountain we arrived at the plantation about 4 o'clock, and 
walked on twelve miles the same night to the camp on the Mulgrave. 
On the 12th, still leaving Messrs. Bailey and Broadbent collecting 
on the Mulgrave, I started for a final exploration of Bellenden-Ker, 
accompanied by Harold and three blackboys, Charley, Jimmy, and 
Toby. It was a flyiug trip in which the endurance of all was to be 
severely tested. On the first night we camped at the Wheianian 
Pools, and the next day reached our old camp on the summit, at 5,000 
feet. Temperature at night, 42. degrees. Pound the small stream 
from which we had previously obtained water was dried up, but we 
had brought a supply from 4,000 feet to guard against such a con- 
tingency. JN^ext morning was cold and wet, when we started round 
the summit of the mountain, my intention being to traverse the 
whole range and descend by Mount Sophia. The entire mountain 
was covered by clouds, and nothing to be seen around or below us. 
ileaching the end of my previous track, I proceeded along the summit 
through dense wiry vegetation and confused masses of sharp rock, the 
crest of the range averaging 4,900 feet, rising at times to 5,000 feet, 
and in some places not six feet wide. We were all soaking from the 
drip of the trees and the wet bushes, and the boys felt the cold 
acutely. After five hours of hard continuous track-cutting, which 
nearly paralysed my right arm, we arrived close to the base of the 
north peak and camped at 4,900 feet, among tall trees and groves 
of tree-ferns. In the morning £ left the boys in camp and went ahead 
to see if they could be taken on. A quarter of a mile beyond the 
camp I came to -piles and pinnacles of rock, with precipices on each 
side, and the eternal Dracophyllam growing from every crevice. 
Leaving the gun and cane-knife behnid, I lowered myself down 
from one rock to another, climbed on to those above by means of vines, 
and leaped across from boulder to boulder where a false step meant 
serious injury or death, until it was clearly seen there was no chance 
of going farther in that direction and taking the boys, without leaving 
every article we possessed at the camp. 1 had now been over every 
foot of Belienden-Ker, including Sophia and Toressa, excepting the 
north peak on the edge of which I now stood, and decided to go back 
the way we came. We had but one day's provisions left, and it was 
my intention to submit the endurance of the whole party to a severe 
test. Leaving the blankets and all superfluous articles, we started 
to return. 
We retraced the whole of the previous day's journey and. reached 
the south peak about 12 o'clock. Then we started down the mountain 
and descended 4,000 foet on the long spur to the Whelanian Pools, 
^.rriving there at sunset. We crossed the creek and ascended 700 
feet, to the top of Barnard's Spur, and stayed all night in the blacks' 
camp. In one day we had actually covered a severe journey for two 
days and a-half. That was an experience I would not care to repeat. 
