ble facilities for settlement. Passing on, they
found that the coast was bolder along the province of Hawke Bay. They
stopped at Clive, at the mouth of the bay, for a day or two, and went up
the Tukataki river in a canoe to the town of Waipawa. But here they
found the farms thick and land comparatively expensive. They left the
schooner at Napier, the chief town of the province, and after making
several excursions here went up in a coasting craft to the mouth of the
river Mohaka, which runs into the sea a short distance to the south of
the boundary line between Hawke Bay and the province of Auckland. A few
miles up this river was the farm of Mr. Mitford. Hiring a boat they
proceeded up the river, and landed in front of the comfortable-looking
farmhouse of the settler.

Mr. Mitford, seeing strangers approaching, at once came down to meet
them, and received them with the greatest cordiality as soon as he saw
who they were.

"I am heartily glad to see you!" he exclaimed, "and the girls will be
delighted. They have been wondering ever since we got here when you
would arrive. You have not, I hope, fixed upon any land yet, for they
have set their heart upon your settling down as our neighbours. This is
as pretty a valley as there is in the island, and you will have no
difficulty in getting land at the lowest government price. There being
no settlement of any size at the mouth of the river has deterred
emigrants from coming here to search for land. But we can talk about
that afterwards. Come straight up to the house. I will send down one of
my native boys to bring up your baggage."

They spent a very pleasant evening at the farmhouse. Mr. Mitford owned a
considerable extent of land, and was doing very well. He reared cattle
and horses, which he sent down for sale to Wellington. The house was
large and comfortable, and bore signs of the prosperity of its owner.
The girls were delighted at the place. They had been left in care of
relatives at home when their father and mother came out six years before
to settle in New Zealand, and everything was as new to them as to
Wilfrid. They had taken to riding as soon as they arrived, and had
already made excursions far up the valley with their father.

"We were at a place yesterday, Wilfrid," the eldest girl said, "that we
agreed would suit your father admirably. It is about ten miles up the
river. It was taken up only last year, father says, by a young
Englishman, who was going to mak