SAFETY WAS ASSURED THEM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2410, 10 May 1900, Page 66

SAFETY WAS ASSURED THEM.

A splendid little natural harbour unfolded itself, and in but a short time more, the vessel gliding into smooth water, was securely made fast to the stout limbs ot the overhanging trees. Thp safe anchorage, then, that is afforded here by nature is duly notified to all and sundry whom it may concern. We ourselves headed straight for it, and as the captain's vessel did on tho above memorable occasion, our schooner was scon " tied up " fore and aft to the adjoining forest u'eeF. As usual, the boats were quickly slung out, and while some went ashore to "stretch their legs," others, whose only joy in life seemed to be a never-ceasing devotion to the piscatorial art, soon had the lines overboard. They were destined to catch any amount of the finny tribe, for, as in all the other sounds, the waters around us seemed to be teeming with fiah. A surprise, however, was in store for the fishers^ for one of them suddenly drew up on the end of his line a fine big crayfish. The latter hung- on to the line most tenaciously, and, judging by the difficulty that was experienced in inducing him to relinquish his hold, he had come to the conclusion he had secured the enviable prize that It

had ever been the good fortune or any mem* ber of the craj^sh tribe to capture. This robust specimen was only the precursor of many more, and landing blue cod, " soldiers," butterii'sh, or any other finny specimen was considered poor sporl compared to hauling up crayfish with a "bit of siring." Someone afterwards extemporised a small net with the aid of a hoop taken off the "salt junk" barrel and some flax, and with half a shining 1 red-coatocl "soldier" for a bait, lowered it overboard. The crayfish then came up by the two and threes, till the deck was strewn with the jumping, flapping crustaceans. ileantime the yield of blue cod, butterlish, and all the other sarnplen of fine edible fish suddenly and mj iterioiisly commenced to diminish, and the cause was being speculated upon fruitlessly till a faiv-siz?cl young f-hark was suddenly landed, kicking and jumping and performing all sorts of curious svratiens. He measured over 2ft. In a very httie time another and a, larger one made its appearance, and ethers followed in quick succession, till the attraction of 'he hour resolved itself into shai'k-n&hmg. When ILe net, which had been laid in a likely place — there wuie tho?e on board whose sole 'pleasure during the whole trip lay in the setting of a long scino net— was hauled up the cr.tch of sharks was added to by three or four more — one ot them being fully 4£t long and a monstrously ugly-looking customer into the bargain. Ths iinravellingof the neL from the complicated' folds in which h had been twisted by xh s efforts of the creatures to escape was a comowhat tedious end irksome task, but it was found that the amount of damage it had sustained was not so grc-at as r-nticipated would be the case. The following morning — Sunday — broke bright and clear. The sun shone'- out in a cloudless sky, and not a breath of wind disturbed the atmosnheie. ~ The strident notes of the " redbill," whose beautiful black plumage and long red bill (which latter earned for H its sobriquet from thorje on board) could be discerned from the ship's deck, tempted a couple of boating parties ashore.

■lie one boatful landed on the beach, tlio Other pulled for the opposite side of the sound, where a stream could be seen

FLOWING OUT FROM THE FOEEST.

The stream was found to have a wide, deep entrance, gradually shallowing *o an average depth of three feel. The water wad bv-autifull}- cletrv and sparkling, and lasted like snow water. We had Jiot pulled up fa:before we found that the tall reeds and toi-toi gir.si which grew " between t'-e river banks and the bush was the habitat of a number of grey ducks, and paradise ducks, while theadjoining foreat itself afforded i-anctvavy to numerous pigeons a.'id kakns. The river wound in uncl out oinidst the forest, proceeding on in its circuitous course along a narrow valley. We rowed up for about a, couple cf miles, and finding thai further progress was blocked by a series of rapids prepared to return. Some of those whose sporting instincts could not resist the spectacle of plump little grey ducks floating about in shady little watery nooks landed and walked along the river side, but as it was close season for native and imported birds, let us hope they contented themselves merely with, a closer inspection of the feathered dainties. When we got back to the, ship after our two or three hours' excursion, and sat down to an ample br-eakfast, we were able \o appreciate to the-utrnosfc the skill of cur cbef de cuisine. We were so pleased with tho lovely scenery up the xiver, and the abundance of bird life along its course, that wo decided to make another expedition lato: 1 in the clay, and our recital of the results of the explorations we hr-cl made induced a couple of other boatloads to follow our lead. Some provided themselves with corpulentlooking hampers containing both ?olid and liquid refreshments, with the object of makingan al fresco refection on tho &unny banks of the river. The day was pleasantly spent amidst sucj beauteous surroundings, fnd under atmospheric conditions calculated to best contribute to both health and happir.ess. The following clay turned out p.loomy, and accordingly we decided to bsab out -of the anchorage against the breeze and stear a course for Thompson Sound. We cast off oar moorings therefore, but had hardly got a start when, the weither thickened and the wind increased. These factors determined us to go down the other arm, which extends at a right angle from the 'apttom of the sound and runs in a southerly direction for a distance of some four miles. When we got to the anchorage off the low forest-clad shore we were highly pleased that circumstances compelled us to take the course we did. The spot where we had anchored is a favourite one with the Union Steam Ship Company's excursionists, and ifc is here that the regattas are generally held. On our left a fine waterfall — or rapid, perhaps, would be its proper designation — came tumbling out of the bush into the sound. It is called the Alice Tails, and it forms the outlet to Lake Alice, which lies behind the bushy slopes which mark tho termination of the sounds, and extends inw?rds amongst the mountains. The Government have just, completed- a track from the sound to the north-west branch of the middle arm. of Lake To Anau. The distance between tho two points is 18 miles, and at each end a substantial hut has been erected. At the sound's end the hut is built upon the shore, and is provided with a large safe ship's boat.

LAKE ALICE. up to the time cf our visit was a terra incognita (if the expression is permissible to tourists, who were compelled to content , themselves by climbing to the summit of the falls and glancing through the foliage across the isia«d-studdpd waters below. No boat was available, and consequently the lake itself could not be traversed. At the time we called, however, the track gant,* had completed their labours by building a .strong, flat-bottomed dingy. capable of holding four, and we decided to devote a day towards inaugurating tho tourist traffic on the lake by rowing across it. When we had surmounted the rocky pathway leading to the top of the falls, and followed the narrow track through the bush to the brink of the little rcckv precipice, a charming vista was afforded through" the foliage of vhe long simious stretch of waters, whose glimmering silver surface reflected the immense sheer-down mountain walls which surrounded it on all sides. We continued on our way for some minutes longer till we came to the boat, lying on a slip and made fast to the trees with ropes and chains. Look where we would, however, we could find no trace of the paddles, and, concluding that they -were in the hufc on the beach, went back to gei the oars out of the ship's boat lying at the base of Jhe falls. Returning with the oarc, the boat was launched, and we embarked. Threading our way through the little islets, and disturbing the wild ducks swimming about the shores, we were soon in the midst of the lake. For picturesqueness and variety of =cenery v.*e concurred in the opinion that we had seen few scenes during the course of our travels to equal what now met our gaze, and we heartily congratulated ourselves that force ol circumslances kadjjreventfcd our over-looking GreorSS 1

Sound. The sides of the high mountains surrounding the lake were perfectly perpendicular in most place?, yet somehow or other the tush managed to secure a precarious foothold, and, judging by their healthy appearance, the trees found plenty of sustenance on their narrow, rocky ledges. After a quarter of an * hour's pull, we passed on our right round a t*ij>6 granite bluff, and noticed that an arm ciT the lake extended in that direction. We Voided to keep on and pull to the head of the lake, which, as we went, gradually widened out till it at length attained an apparent width of about a mile and a-half. A quarter of a mile from the head, a low-AVOoded peninsula ran out at right angles from the shore ; while on the right the edge of the sound assumed a concave shape at the base of the mountains. When we rounded the peninsula, A LOW WOODED SHOSE lay immediately in front, and further back a narrow, heavily-timbered valley wound in ascl out of high mountains whose massive rugged peaks were wreathed in slowly moving mists. We steered for the right-hand corner of the lake, where we saw a wide smooth-running river. The number of great logs and gnarled branches which lay about the shore ai the mouth of the river indicated that it was not always in the peaceful smiling mood with which it greeted our advent that lovely summer morning; but -that when its waters were" swelled tri_ turbulent dimensions from- the streams which flowed in stormy weather from the adjoining rocky heights, it wreaked its wrath on the giants .of the forests, uprooting them from" their strongholds and strewing its sides with their broken, twisted limbs and dead trunks. We slowly paddled up the river, which was very deep in places, and as it wound along on its sinuated course it" compared in beauty with what is seen on the Arthur .River in Milford Sound. After proceeding for some considerable di&tance, we found that, the shallows, prevented us from going further, and having taken a few photographs and having rambled for a short time about the shores, we turned the boat's head towards the lake. Some permanent records of the surrounding scenery in the way of pliotographs were secured, and then rowing back across the lake we once more pulled the boat on to dry land, and made our way back to the ship. The following day the weather again turned bad, blowing and raining with a vengeance. It continued so all that night, and on the succeeding morning we found our ship had dragged its anchor for some distance parallel with the shore. The weather, however, had cleared, and at 7.30 a.m. we were under way ,for

THOMPSON'S SOUND. About 8 o'clock we ,had cleared the entrance, and at 11 o'clock' the following morning we were off the entrance of Thompson's. We proceeded in under a full head of sail on a bright, cloudless, windy morning, and, passing the bold rocky headland which guards the entrance on the left (and which in former years was the home of countless seals), we ■ found ourselves in a large amphitheatre, the walls ofjAvhich were the bold wooded mountain 'slopes stretching upwards from the sgd . We continued on to the shore exactly opposite, till we perceived a channel running between the hills in a south-easterly- direction. The wind drew right into tlie sound, and with all canvas still set we sped on past little sandy beaches' and precipitous, verdure-clad cliffs. 'Thompson's Sound runs. in a scmth-easterty direction for some nine miles. An arm then takes a north-easterly course, and this has received the name of Bradshaw Sound. The same arm next takes a circular course to the couth and east, and this branch has been designated Gaer Arm. At the point where Bradshaw Sound begins and Thompson's terminates, a large island called Secretary Island is situated, and the course around the further side of the island to the open sea is termed Doubtful Sound. The continuation of Doubtful Sound through a narrow passage in .amongst the great mountains is called Smiih Sound, so that- at the end of Secretary Irfand -four sounds converge — Thompson, Doubtful, Smith, and Bradshaw. When we came to the end of Thompson's we decided, as the wind still held, to continue on up Bradshaw Sound, and under goosewing sail headed for Precipire Cove, J. 6 miles away. Our sail along the base of .those rugged, lofty mountains will longbe remembered by all on board. At 2 o'clock in the afternoon we decided to cast anchor in a little bay instead of proceeding on to Precipice Cove, as we reasoned that it was not prudent to go too far down that narrow waterway in case we should be wind-bound, and experience a difficulty in beating out again. The wind dropping, we drifted into our anchorage, and got very close to the shore before the. water got sufficiently shallow to enable us to drop the anchor. When we had finally come a standstill and the sails were < all stowed away, it was made evident to the practised eye of fhe skipper that the place was too exposed to -be altogether- desirable, and accordingly he warped his vessel over to a little wooded cove that was just sufficiently large to admit the ship. The large trees growing -alongside afforded ample provision for securing the Tessel, and here we lay in security for the next couple of days. Shore parties were as usual speedily landed, and penetrating the dense bush for some 50 yards, we suddenly emerged out on to the shores of Precipice Cove, which was thus just separated from us by a narrow neck of bush land. Our stay at this place •was confined to the following day, which was spent in fishing, shooting (at inanimate targets of course), and photography, and at 9 o'clock the following morning we heaved up anchor and "up stick " for Blanket Bay, Doubtful Sound.

(To be continued.)

For selling liquor on the afternoon of the recent licensing poll at the Grey Trotting Club's meeting, the Argus reports that O. Egden was fined £5 and costs.

Mr Patterson, schoolmaster at Waipahi, has been appointed to relieve Mr Kelly, schoolmaster at Kurow, during the latter' s leave of absence. Prior to his departure for Kurow, Mr Patterson was presented with, a beautiful marble clock as a token of the esteem in which he 1 is held by the residents of Waipahi. The Springvale correspondent of the Alexandra Herald states that the new school being erected at Moutere Flat in place of the .one destroyed by fire at Springvale in February last, will probably be completed in about 10 days. There will be no' delay in opening the school and commencing operations.

advice to Mothers! — Are you broken in Jour rest by a sick child suffering with, tho pain of cutting teeth ? Go at once to a cliemiot and get a bottle of Mrs Winslow's Soothing Syrup. It will relieve the poor sufferer immediately. It is perfectly harmless, and pleasant to tho taste; it produces natural, quiet sleep by relioving the child from pain, and the little cherub awakes "aa bright aa a button." It socthe^ the child, it softens the gums, rllays all pain, relieves wind, regulates the bows\s, and is the best known remedy for dysentery and diarrhoea, whether arising from teething or other causes. Mrs Winslow's Soothing Syrup is sold by medicine dealers everywhere at Is 3£cl per fecttle. — AiJ¥2!