f cliffs. In its
bottom was a watercourse containing water in pools only; but it must be
borne in mind that it was now the very end of the dry season. The party
all came up, and we laid ourselves down under the grateful shade of the
mimosas. Those who chose took their fill of water. I had made a rule
never to taste it except to wash out my mouth from sunrise until we
halted for the night; for I found that drinking water promoted profuse
perspiration and more ardent thirst, and I preferred practising a little
self-denial to enduring the greater pangs arising from indulgence.

Whilst I stretched my weary length along under the pleasant shade I saw
in fancy busy crowds throng the scenes I was then amongst. I pictured to
myself the bleating sheep and lowing herds wandering over these fertile
hills; and I chose the very spot on which my house should stand,
surrounded with as fine an amphitheatre of verdant land as the eye of man
has ever gazed on. The view was backed by the Victoria Range, whilst
seaward you looked out through a romantic glen upon the great Indian
Ocean. I knew that within four or five years civilization would have
followed my tracks, and that rude nature and the savage would no longer
reign supreme over so fine a territory. Mr. Smith entered eagerly into my
thoughts and views: together we built these castles in the air, trusting
we should see happy results spring from our present sufferings and
labours, but within a few weeks from this day he died in the wilds he was
exploring.

THE BULLER RIVER.

The stream we were on I named the Buller; we rested some time by it and
when we moved on some of the advocates of the eight or ten mile a day
system very unwillingly followed the party. We fell in with a native path
which wound up through a thick scrub in pleasing sinuosities, and emerged
upon a tableland similar to the one we had traversed this morning.

THE CHAPMAN RIVER.

I now followed a course of 169 degrees, and after walking three miles
more we arrived at the edge of a valley of the same character as that
wherein the Buller flowed, and through it we had another view of the
fertile country to the eastward: into this valley we descended and,
finding a watercourse running through it with water in pools, I seated
myself with such of the party as were up, about half a quarter of a mile
from the Mount Fairfax of Captain King, and named this stream the
Chapman.

SEARCH FOR A MISSING MAN.

Mr. Walker now c