OVERLAND FROM NELSON TO SOUTHLAND IN 1856.

North Otago Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8087, 27 September 1894, Page 1

OVERLAND FROM NELSON TO SOUTHLAND IN 1856.

[By W. H. S, Roueiit.s.3 (Continued.)

Juno 18fcli. — Tho forty-first amiivorsary of tho Battle of Waterloo. The eighteenth was glorious, Foe DngliUicl gained the fight. The nineteenth saw King John Sign Magna Cbarta bright. Tho twentieth proelaim'd Victoria A Queen, then young and slight. And next, tho twenty-first, The shortest day aud longest night. L.B.R.JJJ Anothor day of sample weather, and a vory bad sample at that, frost, rain and sleet, bitterly cold ! Wo had a good breakfast off pork and potatoes, sorved In tho pot and camp oven in which thoy woro cooked, for there woro no dishes, plates or forks, but each traveller had his own sheath knife, and helped himself with hia two hands. Tea was also plentiful, but no milk. Wo bought a flax kit full of " niangu mangu kapana " (black potatoes), a rough, dark-skinned potato, with whito flesh, veined with bluo, and a bluo heart, weighing about 701bs, for half-a-crown ; and Jack sold us a hind quarter of pork for threo shillings. Our larder was thus replenished, and with two horses packed, wo set oil" to oxploro tho lena mcoynita, Muriheku, across tho Mataura. Four of our companions starting for the Toitois, thirty miles off. Tuturau was 117 miles from Dunedin. Wo forded tho Mataura a Bhort distance above Roko's wharo, at a long ford, sloping down stream from tho oast to the west side, with two rocks just below it. The water was up to tho saddle flaps, and vory swift. Tho shinglo gave way under tho horses' foet, which made it appear as if they woro sinking. Ileko had a canoo near thia ford, and when tho river was too high to ford, but not in flood, ho used to cro^a people for a consideration, only ho would never attempt it after sundown. Ono day Mr M'Nab arrived, wishing to cross on urgent business, just as tho sun was sinking in tho west, and coo-od. Itoko wont part of tho way down with tho intontion of crossing him, but noticing thatit was so near sunset, changed his mind, and bawled across, "You Hokinui, stop there," aud returned to his wharo. As tho river was too high to ford. JVtr M'Nab was obliged to rido homo to Ilokinui, over thirteen miles. Wo rode down tho flat along tho river bank till wo camo to tho fciowburn Creek, which wo had «omo troublo to cross, as tho water was deep aud tho banks high and covered with a strong growth of flax. Wo then struck across tho flat for the torraco, but woro stopped by tho Otu, a veiy swampy creek. Wo took off tho swags and s.Kldlos, and carried them across, up to our waists in tho cold water ; then ono of us holding a tother-ropo irom a horse's neck across tho creek, tho other drovo tho horses in ono at a time, much against their will, but they succeeded in spluttorietg across. Wo bhon proceeded up tho torraco in a W.N. W. direction to avoid a long swamp that appeared between us and a low ndgo, for threo miles, when wo ioso a spur to tho top o( tho ridge, which proved to bo tho dividing rango betwoen tho hhed water of tho Mataura and Oroti (tho Snares), afterwards called tho Now liivor. All this was splendid cattle country, and had boon applied for as a run by (Jeorgo Gunn. Wo debceuded tho raugo in a westerly direction, passing little heaps of quartz stones, aud slight heights and hollows, caused by tho decay of trees that had been torn up by tho roots, and camo to a swampy flat at tho foot, with tho Titipua (shining flower), now called tho Lindhurst stream, slowly meandering between banks concealed with high llax. Tho wator was so dark that wo could not see bottom anywhoro, bo took a tent polo and felt for a shallow place, then going through tho same performance as at tho Otu, wo goc all bafoly across. Wo then rode up a nice dry ridge, which had boon lately burned, and christoned it Watorloo rango in honor of tho day, but tho surveyors afterwards named it on tho maps Pebbly Hill, on account of tho quantity of quartz gravel on it. Still going westward wo camo to a larger stream, tho Hodgohopo, on a nice fertile flat, with numerous littlo bushes in tho bonds, winding tortuously along towards tho Makarewa(sly floating) river. Wo had travelled fifteen miles, were wot through, and as thoro was good feed for our hoises, and firewood for ourselves, wo pitched tho tout, lighted a good tire, dried our clothes, and had a good supper of fried mutton, potatoes, biscuits, and tea, then sat in tho tent and wrote up my diary by candle-light. " The plain is reached, with the eicek running through And plenty oi ol I dry timber in view. Now whoie is the billy ? Ho hungry arc wo Surely our supper the next thing must be ; Tho fire already is bla/.hu; up high, And asking for uifchora of kioou to fry. Tho biscuits .ue perfect, the pannikins found, And all laid out on the banquetting giound. When everything's roady 1 have nut a doubt A moiuuch might envy our " camping out." —Mrs Nugent Wood. 10th.— -Whon wo awoko in tho morning wo heard tho rain and hail falling heavily on tho tent, so wo remained in our blankets, listening to it, till 11 o'clock, then giving up all hopes of it clearing up, wo had some cold boiled mutton and biscuits for breakfast. About noon it cloarod up, and unfortunately we resolved to proceed on our journey, wo had not travelled two ni'los when tho rain and hail camo down wor.so than ever, and tho cold wind blow ho violently that wo could not get our horses to f'ice it. Wo tried to return, but in orossuig tho creek, which had risen considerably, ono of tho pack horses fell in, and got everything boaking wet, blankets aud all, so wo ewmped there. Ou opening tho sway wo found tho .sugar so wot that it was running through tuo bag and over our goods, therefore, wo throw it into tho creek, aud from that day to this I havo abjured sugaiiu my oca. It cleared up towards evening, so that wo were, ablo to light a lire and cook somo poik chops and potatoes for supper. Wo did not, howevor, succeed hi drying our clothes or blankets, so had to turn in wot and miserable. As this was run No. 138 tint Mr Davidson had applied for on chance when in ilqnodin wo travelled about on it for threo days. It waa particularly well grassed and watored, rather too much &o, as wo found tho creeks a great nuisance to cross, and as it rained incessantly they wero all swollen, Thoro was no high ground on it, and no bush on the run excepting tho Titipua bush, which formed the south-western boundary, and fcwo email bußhea ou the southern portion. There waa a littlo fern and. plenty of mm in some of tho gullioa. Eats abounded everywhere. On Mgufoy, $3;d June, wa crowed the

Titipua crook in the samo manner as we had dono on tho 18th, but as lb was slightly flooded wo had moro trouble, nnd woro nearly perished with web and cold. In tho forenoon thoro was a thick fog, which about mid-day dispersed and allowed ihe sun to shine for tho first time for four days. Wo wont up on to the low dividing range, intending to follow ib down to Mr Develing's at tho Oteramika. Wo found it a very difficult task aa ie was so flat and tho western spurs appeared mohb tempting, bub tho gullies were so swampy wo could nob cross them, thoro* foro wo had to skirt along tho eastern sido whore tho fall wan moro abrupt and decided, but that ma.de tho journey very tortuous, as wo had to head tho gullies, which seemed to overlap each other alternately from east and west. Tho spurs on the south- west were so flab that they had tho appeal ance of a level swampy plain covered with tall snowgrass and dotted hero and there with little bushes, that had escaped the devouring flames whon at some remote period tho forest had boon destroyed by liro. This apparent plain was furrowed with shallow swampy gullies extending for many miles and draining at length into tho Waihopai (leave it quietly) stream, a tributary of tho Now River Estuary. To the east at tho foot of tho ridge was a long flab swamp, then a iino grassy plain to tho Matauru, beyond which wero tho runs I mentioned on tho 17th, well grassed spurs rising at tho Slopedown llango to 2081 feet, and Mount Herbert to 1589 foot ; with theio exceptions none of tho ground was high. Tho bush appeared in clumps, useful for fencing, iirowood, and bliolter. Wo continued our journey along this low ridge for twelve miles, passing some of Robert Doveling's merino owes, which woro lambing, when wo observed his tent in a corner of an extonsive bush, and riding up to ib were mob by a South Sea Island native, a man of dark complexion, with black, wireywoolly hair. Ho said his name was Jack, that ho was Sobline's (Devoling's) uhop* herd, and that Mr Devcling had gone to tho Bluff for food. Wo unaaddlod our horses and turned them loose to feed on tho luxuriant growth of sow-thistles and grass that grow round tho bush. We pitched our tont, aa Jack's ono was only nine feet by six, with a sod chimney at ono end. Ho was quite out of flour, tea, sugar, and salt, so wo shared his ewe mutton chops and potatoes, while wo supplied biscuits and tea. Doveling's tont was situated twolvo miles from Tuturau, or 12 f J miles from Dcmedin. Dovehng had 400 imported merino owes and six thoroughbred Saxony rams, known then as Gsorgo tho Fourth's breed, that he had brought from New South Wales with him. We romained at Devoling's till tho 27th, when, a* ho had not returned, wo started off for tho llokonui (roturn great). We had nothing whatever to oat bub potatoes without salt. We left " Ginger " and a lob of our things in Jack's charge, taking potatoes and blankets on "Nina." I rode u Phoebe " and Mr Davidson tho filly "Blazes," after sho had thrown him once, fortunately in a soft placo. Wo rodo along the samo low ridgo that wo had travelled on thy 23rd, and after parsing tho placo whero wo had started at that date wo found it more winding. Wo frequently came to places whero tho grass had boon burnt off, and noticed tho tracks of a dray, which Mr M'Nab had taken up to liis station from tho Bluff when he brought his bheop. Tho grass was luxuriant, tho snowgrass so long and tho tussocs so largo it was not easy for tho horse? to walk through, and they would occasionally nearly disappear in a crab-holo full o£ water ! As wo nearcd tho hills, speargrass of tho smaller kind, known as "Scotchmen," abounded, and although not so strong and sharp pointed as tho " Spaniard" would not havom'ido a coin* fortable heat.

(To be continued.)