BE SCRIPT! YE NARRATIVE OE JOURNEY. 
49 
it would have been by thick boots, I had strained a sinew, which 
tor a time completely paralyzed it. It was therefore a heavy 
task for me, with only one sound foot, to continue this kind of 
walking for half a mile further, until we reached a small sandy 
beach, at which we camped in the middle of the day; but, by 
using strong lotions, I was able, although obliged to limp, to 
resume my journey the next day. 
The ground over which we travelled continued to be of the 
same description for about four miles; the view was most 
romantic, the sea dashing furiously against the granitic cliffs 
before us, whilst picturesque rocks, rising out of the foaming surf 
in all possible forms and shapes, gave infinite variety to the scene. 
Cretaceous cliffs overlying the granite again appeared, bounding 
the sandy beaches with vertical walls, over which numberless 
streamlets fell in beautiful cascades. These beaches afforded us 
better walking; but they were succeeded by the high cliffs called 
Maungahura, over which we had to pass with the aid of supple¬ 
jack ropes, as they jutted so far into the sea as to prevent our 
going round them. 
Towards evening it rained heavily, and the Maori, who knew 
the road, told us that we had still two miles further to travel 
before we could reach a cave at which we intended to camp. It 
was nearly high water when we again reached the shore, and as 
the wind had risen considerably, the sea dashed furiously against 
the huge masses of limestone rock, between which we had to find 
our way. Here one of my party, in trying to creep between the 
rocks during the recession of the waves, was caught, and was kept 
sometime under water; indeed, it was not without difficulty that 
he avoided being taken into the sea by the surf. Another man, 
under whose feet the wet ground gave way as he was ascending 
a cliff, slipped over the precipice, but fortunately grasped some 
branches above him; his heavy load w T ould have dragged him 
down, had I not heard his cries and gone to his assistance. We 
were all very glad when we arrived at the cave, and were enabled 
to camp in a dry spot, and, although we found it very draughty, 
we spent a comfortable night. 
As I had some geological work to do, we stopped here the next 
day, and I went back over our last day’s journey. Finding at 
low water a nice sandy beach, I was not long in reaching our 
descent of the previous day, and as the sun shone brightly it pre¬ 
sented quite a different aspect. I learnt too that at many points 
of this coast the nature of the journey depends on the state of the 
tide, so that a part of the line which may have been described by 
one explorer as most frightful, because he had travelled over it at 
high water, would be found by the next to be perfectly easy, 
because he had crossed it at low water; though of course there 
are many places difficult of access, and which can only be passed 
at low water. 
E 
