34 
DESCRIPTIVE NARRATIVE OE JOURNET 
side of the river, at a spot from which I intended to strike across 
the country, instead of following the river further up. . ihe river 
here takes a decided turn towards the south-east with a large 
bend, after which it turns to the north-east, so I determined to 
travel due east, and strike it near the foot of the Black-hill. Mr. 
Burnett, whilst I examined the geological character ol the coun¬ 
try, started with two hands to blaze and cut, where necessary, 
a line through the dense bush, so that we might get on more 
rapidly the next day. 
In two days’ march, during which we cut a good line for the 
use of future travellers without meeting with any difficulties, we 
again reached the banks of the Grey, a mile below the Alexander. 
Unfortunately it began to rain during the day. We therelore 
hastened across the river, and camped on high ground, the rapid 
fall of the aneroid indicating the approach of another spell ol bad 
weather. 
During this night, and the following two days and nights, we 
had incessantly heavy rain, which compelled us to keep to our 
tents ; these from constant use, were daily becoming thinner, and 
offered therefore but a very incomplete and uncomfortable shel¬ 
ter. He who has not experienced it, can scarcely imagine the 
wretchedness of travelling through dense bush, everything soaked 
through by the rain, and then pitching a tent on wet ground, 
whilst the firewood is so damp that it can only be ignited and 
kept burning by dint of great perseverance and skilful exertion: 
the storm howling through the tops of the trees, the water pour¬ 
ing down in streams, and the neighbouring river, swollen to a 
torrent, tearing along its course as if its bed had become too 
narrow for it, added to the wretchedness of the scene around us. 
We could hear distinctly the rolling of the large boulders as they 
were carried along by the impetuous current, as well as the con¬ 
stant crash of large trees rolling over the rocks, borne by the 
flood towards the sea. The uproar of the elements was still more 
cheerless during the night, and the feeling of discomfort aug¬ 
mented when a part of the river bank fell into the torrent with^a 
noise like thunder, whilst here and there the crash of dead 
blanches made one fear for the safety of the tent. It was during 
those stormy nights that I first began to hear some of my party 
wish themselves back in Nelson, enjoying the pictured happiness 
oi a comfortable room and a snug bed. 
At last, on the 16th of April, the weather cleared up the blue 
sky shone through the trees, and, notwithstanding the forest was 
still soaking wet, I started, accompanied by Mr. Burnett and one 
of the Maones, to find a spur leading up the mountain. As there 
were several distinct peaks, the great difficulty was to find a spur 
leading to the highest. The river here formed two terraces, broken 
through by numerous deep gullies caused by streams from the 
mountains, and although as we advanced we tried by every means 
I 
