fashion, but at
sundown on the evening of the third day the wind dropped suddenly, and
we did not lose a moment in darting out of our prison and embarking once
more. For the first time since we started we could perceive the grandeur
of the surrounding country; but grand scenery is not necessary nor
indeed desirable in a sheep run. Splendid mountains ran down in steep
spurs to the very shore of the enormous lake. Behind them, piled in
snowy steeps, rose the distant Alps of the Antipodes; great masses of
native bush made dark purple shadows among the clefts of the hills,
whilst the lake rippled in and out of many a graceful bay and quiet
harbour. Not a fleck or film of cloud floated between us and the serene
and darkening sky; a profound, delightful calm brooded over land and
water. Although there was no moon, the stars served us as lights and
compass until two o'clock in the morning, by which time we had reached
the head of the lake (which is thirty-five miles in length), where we
landed, extemporized a tent out of the boat sail, and turned in for a
refreshing flea-less sleep.

The next day was beautifully still, with a light air from the opposite
point, just sufficient to cool the parched atmosphere; and we made our
way along the head of the lake to a place were a couple of sawyers were
at work. One of them had brought his wife with him, and her welcome to
me was the most touching thing in the world. She took me entirely under
her care, and would hardly let me out of her sight. I must say it was
very nice to be waited on so faithfully, and I gave myself up to
the unaccustomed luxury. All she required of me in exchange for her
incessant toil on my behalf was "news." It did not matter of what kind,
every scrap of intelligence was welcome to her, and she refused to tell
me to what date her "latest advices" extended. During the three days of
our stay in that clearing among the great pines of the Wanaka Bush,
I gave my hostess a complete abridgment of the history of
England--political, social, and moral, beginning from my earliest
recollections. Then we ran over contemporary foreign affairs, dwelt
minutely on every scrap of colonial news, and finally wound up with a
full, true, and particular account of myself and all my relations
and friends. When I paused for breath she would cease her washing and
cooking on my behalf, and say entreatingly, "Go on now, do!" until I
felt quite desperate.

All this time whilst I was being