FOUR IN A TENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 1947, 18 June 1891, Page 32

FOUR IN A TENT.

Bt One op Them. (Continued.) It Is a pleasant one and free, This wandering sport of our* — Above us waves the leafy tree, Bloom under us the flowers. And in our hands the pliant rod Is waving to and fro ; The shapely boughs abova us nod And the flowers smile below.

Tho crickets are now beginning to oome out from their hiding places in the heart of the tusEOcks, and are making the peculiar chirp, chirp, so easily distinguished from noises made by other inseots. All anglers know that when the oricket is on the wing the trout are also on the look out for any stray ones tbat may attempt to fly across' the stream and bo so unfortunate as to fall in. That cricket never sees land or bis poor mother again, for if a trout is anywhere handy be soon puts him in comfortable quarters. Jußt facing our tent there were two fine fUh that were ever and anon leaping up at passing flies. When we/ saw these fish rising we knew that many more were also on the feed. We were now in great haste to be up and at 'em. Mr O. had been for an hour past fixing up a fine and delicate oast, which he averred could hold the biggest fish in the river, fine as the gut is. All the week he had been watching two or three regular boomers that were always feeding in one particular plaoe up stream, and he vows be will have them before the day is out if they are to be tempted at all, Horaoe has taken bis gun, and has gone with a settler's son to try his luck at ferreting. Tom, in a moment of rashneEs, wagered 6 to 1 on the rabbits, which was rather rough on the man with the gun, to say the least of it ; but as we never got a detailed aocount of the expedition all bets were declared off. Horace Bays the slaughter was very great, and that rabbits would be very soarce for some time to come in that vioinity. We all had our own opinions on that subject,however, and up to the present see no reason why we should alter them. My heel was still giving me a lo*: of pain, so I did not go far from camp, but contented myself with fishing tho few pools that were close by, but with poor suooass. Tom Bteered straight for the upper reaohes to try and oatoh some of the six-pounders he had missed the day before. I met him as he was returning, and he certaiDly had managed to do very well, for his basket contained some splendid specimens. But Tom was not satisfied. He was hankering after the rough and-tumble waters of the Pomahaka, where nothing but 4lb and 61b fish are caught ; and he vowed there and then to try and induce Mr C. to break up camp and go over to this grand stream when we got down to the tent. Mr O. bad just turned up, and with what a splendid lot of fisb, all 31b to 41b a-pieoe, whioh he had caught in less than one mile and a-half of water. The spot bad been something gr-a-n d, be said, and all taken with cricket ; and what an amount of argument we bad to use to persuade him to leave such fine sport, Anyhow, Tom worked him up to the shifting point by painting up the Pomahaka in most glowing colours, and as the sequel will show not at all too highly. When Horace came along with his gun, exposure to the sun and wind had browned up bis face to the colour of an ideal ham. Mr O. observed to him, " Well, no one would take you for a city man now. Why, you'd pass for a real Maori, sure." Still gazing at him meditatively and taking in the slouoh bat and smokebegrimed shirt, not over-clean, Tom* added, " Yob, you're a Maori, sure ; but with a bit of the masher thrown in,"

Next day was Sunday, so of course no fishiog was done. We turned out of our bunks at about 10, had breakfast, then strolled round to a high bluff and watched the trout as they lazily swam about sucking in the flies that seemingly were hatching on the shallows and floating down the stream. While we were so engaged a merry party of young folks went driving by bound for Qlenary— foutfin all, a lady and gentleman in the front seat, and the same in the seat behind. There was no back to the rear seat, and the lady did not in consequence look very oomfortable. I do not remember whether it was Tom or Horace that remarked as they passed by that if they occupied the gentleman's position beside her they would have taken care that she had some support for her back. I think she heard some part of the remark, for Mr Christie's son told me that next day they happened to see him and asked him what we were Baying about them ; but of course he did not enlighten them. There seemed to ba quite an exodus from the township to the upper parts of the vallay, as all tho morning parties of gaily-dresse-d young ladies with th°ir ma'e osoorta, on horseback and in various kinds of vehicles wended their way to Qlenavy to ap9nd the day in the woods and enj >y the splendid mountain scenery. Frank Ohrhtio suggested to Tom that a bathe would not go amiss, and so an adjournment was made.to the * a its 1 where Horace, Tom, and Frank soon disrobed, and in a few minutes were scaring all tho trout in the pool. Tom had a great dread of eels, and when he tramped on a lump of skinned rabbit that I had thrown in to attract them to my line he let gut a torrifij yell, shouting git " Eels I the beggars —as b:g as my leg 1 ," and making a groat plunge for shore got out in legs time than it would take a oat which had accidentally fallen into a tub of water. Of course the others only laughed at him when they gaw the csuso of all the trouble • but all the same I noticed that they didn't do much swimming after Tom came oub,

Frank Christie's horse had been standing qulafcly by the Cent, and when Tom had donned hia shirt ho mounted and proceeded to give ua a first class representation of the way the oowboys managed to pick up whipa, &c , from the ground wijile the horse waß cantering without dismounting. It was a very fine performanc9 s but if any ladie3 bad happened to oome along tbat way I doa't think they would have Btayed to see the show.

, The soothing restorative effects of Ayer's Oherry P^ctora' are rea'hed ia all oases of Golds, coughs, throat;, or lung troubles, while its powerful healing qualities are shown in the most serious pu]m.Qnary disorder*,