26 
DESCRIPTIVE NARRATIVE OF JOURNEY. 
following day the native asked us to halt at four o’clock, being 
unable to proceed further, but during the evening we caught some 
eels, which strengthened us all, and our subsequent arrival at Mr. 
Mackay’s camp, at the Alexander, revived the men’s spirits. The 
weather now remained very fine, and we continued our road, in 
the hope of speedily arriving in the open country upon the Grey. 
I may here state, that from the time of leaving the Maruia 
plains, the geological and topographical features of the country 
filled me with the greatest interest, and although myself weak, 
and possessing but the wreck of what were once a pair of boots, 
which made walking over sharp stones very painful, the interest 
of the journey prevented me from giving way to any peevishness, 
and so, seconded by Mr. Burnett, I endeavoured to be cheerful, 
and to incite my party, by my example, to bear their privations as 
men ought to do. 
I have not, of course, related the several minor accidents which 
happened to the members of our party, and which were natural 
upon such a journey. They were fortunately unattended by 
serious consequences, and merely gave rise to a laugh, in which the 
sufferer invariably joined heartily. 
After having travelled for some days through the bush, crossing 
and recrossing the river, and having afterwards to ascend the 
terraces in consequence of the depth of the river and the steepness 
of its banks, we at length left the mountains behind us, and, to our 
inexpressible joy, found that we had entered the open country. 
The geological formation here changed, and instead of crystalline 
or metamorphic rocks, tertiary strata and old alluvium appeared. 
On the 16th of March we reached a fine eeling station and' as 
soon as the sun went down we all started to different places in the 
deep water to fish, with the exception of one, who remained behind 
to keep up a large fire, and prepare the sticks on which to roast 
the first result of our sport; but although we sat for two hours no 
eels appeared and three of us returned to the fire disappointed. 
he night, as had been generally the case for the last month had 
become cool, and as we were sitting before the fire, the fourth and 
last of our party brought with him a very small eel whiSNot¬ 
withstanding its diminutive size, was soon roasting upon a stick 
Our situation would have afforded to a Schalken a fine opportunity 
tor a splendid picture; our five figures, with their thin 1 faces and 
rn and patched clothes, standing round the blazing fire nazino- 
“try °sky PO of r EF"* ^ f < bkSSEg 
wear,_ starry sky of the southern hemisphere. On the nevt 
morning, after haying well scraped our two bags to get the S 
Jour adhering to them, by which means we made?, more tlm ? , ? 
large meal, intending to make if possible nnrffA 
to reach the Mawhef iti, we st^Z^in^dTct’sstoo 
the river, which gradually became broader we found the J i g 
tm m0re °I >en ’ 3,1(1 Tith S«®y terraces occasionall/replaemg the 
