ry. Of course all the
first-class pasture-land "down south," as it was called, had been taken
up long before; but we heard rumours of splendid sheep country, yet
unappropriated, far back towards the west coast of Otago, just where its
boundary joined Canterbury.

With our minds in this state of desire for what poor Mazzini used
to denounce as "territorial aggrandisement," we paid our usual
post-shearing visit to Christchurch. F---- had his agent's accounts to
examine, a nice little surplus of wool-money to receive, and many other
squatting interests to attend to; whilst I had to lay in chests of
tea, barrels of sugar and rice, hundreds of yards of candle-wick,
flower-seeds, reels of cotton, and many other miscellaneous articles.
But through all our pleasant, happy little bustle ran the constant
thought: "What shall we do for more country?" A day or two before
the expiration of the week's leave of absence which we always gave
ourselves, F---- came into my sitting-room at the hotel, flung down his
hat on the table with an air of triumph, and cried, "I've heard of such
a splendid run! One hundred thousand acres of beautiful sheep-country,
and going for a mere song!" Now I had lived long enough in the world
to discover that one sometimes danced on the wrong foot to the tune
of these "mere songs," so I cautiously inquired, "Where is it?" F----
seemed a little dashed that the only question which he could not answer
favourably should be the first I asked, and he replied vaguely, "Well,
it is rather a long way off, but I am sure we can manage it." A
little more sifting elicited the fact that this "desirable investment"
stretched along the shores of Lake Wanaka, famous for its beautiful
scenery, and was to be had for what certainly seemed a ridiculously
small sum;--only a few hundred pounds. "Of course it has no sheep on
it," added F----; "but that is all the better. I'll burn it this year,
and then turn some cattle on it, and after next shearing we'll have a
good mob of sheep to draft out and stock it." He further added, that
he had invited his man of business and the individual who owned this
magnificent property to dine with us that evening, and that then I
should hear all about it And I may truly say that I _did_ hear about
it, for my brain reeled with figures and calculations. By bedtime I was
wondering if we could possibly spend the enormous fortune which would
be quite certain to accrue to us in a few years if only we cou