246 CHRISTCHURCH chap. 
among them the little German doctor, who when I 
showed him my sketches quietly put aside all the best : 
"They are necessary for my purpose," he said. I 
suggested that some day I too might make use of them 
for a book ; however, as the rain prevented us from 
going out, he kept me at work from daylight till dark 
filling the lines which did duty as his sketches — a cross 
marked " tree " here, a line marked " a mountain " there. 
With him came two ladies, an imposing, massive, gray- 
whiskered man with a fat smile and a cheerful 
aggressive manner, and two of the genus globe-trotter, 
not wanting in appreciation of themselves, who 
talked as if they had just discovered New Zealand, and 
we belonged to the wilds of Timbuctoo ; however, we 
organised a riding party next morning, to see in one 
day what generally takes two— this meant a start at 
four in the morning ; the two ladies, perhaps wisely, 
changed their minds at the last moment, especially as 
we had drawn lots for the only side-saddle and it had 
fallen to my share. 
After making various unsuccessful attempts to get 
on his horse, the little doctor was at last lifted by two 
men (for he was no light weight) into the saddle ; the 
gray-haired gentleman being the father of the party had 
the pick of the horses, and a wooden gray mare fell to 
my lot, while the others were on a miscellaneous 
collection. It was yet barely daylight and bitterly 
cold, but at any rate there was no rain. 
When we reached the Hooker, swollen with the 
melted snow and last rains, it was rushing along with 
tremendous speed, and ice-blocks, most uncomfortably 
large, were now and then being carried down. One 
horse was sent across alone to test the depth. He 
tottered in mid-stream, then swam, then gained another 
footing, and finally reached the bank ; but, coming to 
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