DESCKIPTIVE NARRATIVE OE JOURNEY. 
19 
where one can make use of horses and other heasts of burden, is 
comparatively easy, and there is little fatigue in pursuing scientific 
investigations during temporary halts of the party, and in com¬ 
pleting notes and journals whilst they are resting at nigljt. 
The next morning we started early, the weather having again 
become fine; but we had some difficulty in working our. way 
through the thick bush, interwoven with numerous supple-jacks 
and lawyers, on our road. Half-a-mile before reaching the Mataki- 
taki, we had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Alexander Mackay and 
his man Flowers, returning from the Maruia plains. They also 
had not ventured to cross the Buller, and had remained on the 
southern side. If it be a pleasure amid the bustle of a town to 
meet a friendly face, how much greater must it be to meet one in 
the wilderness ! We remained a few hours together, relating our 
adventures, whilst my men prepared for our nearly starved out 
visitors a hearty meal, which, despite its homeliness, was not 
despised by men who for some time had lived on two biscuits a 
day. Wishing them a safe return to Nelson, and giving them 
some assistance from our stock of provisions, we parted, and again 
pursued our several ways. 
After another hour’s walk we reached the Mataki-taki. This 
river flows through a broad valley, and although we crossed it 
where it is divided into two branches, it was still very rapid and 
deep, and is in my opinion the principal tributary of the Buller. 
The mountains on the northern side of the Buller continued low, 
and there is a large flat between them and the river, covered in 
some places with manuka, tutu, and other scrub, and in others 
with high fern, through which (partly following Mr. Mackay’s 
track, who had here tried to burn the fern) we continued our 
route, and camped in one of his old camps on the level ground. 
As I did not wish to leave this plain without ascending some 
mountain in the neighbourhood, in order to form a more accurate 
idea of the country around, I determined on ascending one about 
three miles distant from our camp, which had been called by Mr. 
Mackay Mount Francis. 
In descending the river below the entrance of the Matiri, I had 
observed a very easy ford across the Buller, and on the following 
morning I sent two men back with instructions to re-ascend it as 
far as the Matiri, and wash in that river for gold. I, in the 
meantime, ascended Mount Francis, which is only about 2,200 
feet high; but, although it was wooded to the summit, 1 obtained 
a very good view over the whole country, the sides of the moun¬ 
tain in some places being absolutely vertical. Towards evening I 
returned, as did also the two gold seekers, who had been unsuc¬ 
cessful, though they had washed for half the day. 
Yesterday evening I had set fire to the high fern before us in 
order to have an easier walk with our heavy loads, and during the 
night it was a splendid sight to see the surrounding country in 
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