10 
DESCRIPTIVE NARRATIVE OE JOURNEY. 
ling through wild wooded country, whilst carrying a heavy load, 
is full of difficulties. In the one case we have deep ravines, pre¬ 
cipices, and rugged ground to go over; in the other, owing to 
the impervious character of the vegetation, and the deep mosses 
with which the ground is sometimes covered, and in which one 
sinks to the knees between the roots of living, or the decaying 
remnants of dead trees, progress is laborious and slow. Not¬ 
withstanding, however, the hardships we endured from these, 
amongst other causes, we at least had one comfort attached to 
this mountain travelling, for in the higher regions we were left 
unmolested by those very trying plagues, the sand-flies, which, 
at all times sufficiently troublesome, became almost intolerable if 
one happened to be occupied in writing, mapping, or sketching. 
In my subsequent observations upon natural history, I will speak 
more fully upon this explorer’s scourge. 
It was evening ere we again reached our camp, and we saluted 
with joy the last beams of the sun, only visible to us through the 
clearing we had made at the outlet of the lake. I had not then 
been accustomed to pass weeks in the dark tawai forest. A 
night’s hearty supper from an eel, weighing at least ten pounds, 
which had been caught during our absence, refreshed us after our 
mountain trip, and 1 was very soon engaged in my usual evening 
occupation of noting down the more prominent features of the 
day’s work. 
. Tli e next day it rained very hard, so that we could not fulfil our 
intention of starting for the Tiraumea plains. Those who have 
not passed some time in the bush can never know what it is to be 
compelled to wait tor fine weather in a moist tent. 
Saturday, the 28th ot January, being a fine day, we rose at day- 
lgnt to start. \\ e had always a very good alarum in the form of 
the thousands of sand-flies, which commenced their vigorous attacks 
at daylight, and invariably succeeded in drawing us from beneath 
‘'' u ' bankets. We followed a small rivulet which flows from 
Iviv 1 ? jt T rm N for three miles > crossed a low saddle, and struck 
the Mangles, the valley of which is in many places narrow and 
confined, and it was not without some difficulty that we climbed 
over the dead and rotting trees which encumbered the ground 
In the afternoon it rained again, and the forest being still wet 
trom the previous day’s shower, we went down to the bed of the 
stream,_ and thus proceeded, which gave me an opportunity of 
examining more closely the interesting formation of the country 
beemg that we could not this day reach the plains we cainned 
and the next day continued our march by the side of the stream’ 
StoZ^rr “frri the many “Cg 
lie mountain sides. The hills became less high and steen and 
“ r\,” d ™ reached more^open 
tte TaU °y " as a lliu feet high, covered with fern 
