Broomielaw, April 1867. I have nothing to tell you this mail, except
of a rather ridiculous expedition which we made last week, and which
involved our spending the whole night on the top of the highest hill on
our run. You will probably wonder what put such an idea into our heads,
so I must preface my account by a little explanation. Whenever I meet
any people who came here in the very early days of the colony--only
sixteen years ago, after all!--I delight in persuading them to tell me
about their adventures and hardships during those primitive times, and
these narratives have the greatest fascination for me, as they always
end happily. No one ever seems to have died of his miseries, or even
to have suffered seriously in any way from them, so I find the greatest
delight in listening to the stories of the Pilgrims. I envy them
dreadfully for having gone through so much with such spirit and
cheerfulness, and ever since I came here I have regretted that the rapid
advance of civilization in New Zealand precludes the possibility of
being really uncomfortable; this makes me feel like an impostor, for I
am convinced that my English friends think of me with the deepest pity,
as of one cut off from the refinements and comforts of life, whereas I
really am surrounded by every necessary, and many of its luxuries, and
there is no reason but that of expense why one should not have all of
these.
One class of narratives is peculiarly attractive to me. I like to hear
of benighted or belated travellers when they have had to "camp out,"
as it is technically called; and have lived in constant hope of meeting
with an adventure which would give me a similar experience. But I am
gradually becoming convinced that this is almost impossible by fair
means, so I have been trying for some time past to excite in the breasts
of our home party and of our nearest neighbours an ardent desire to see
the sun rise from the top of "Flagpole," a hill 3,000 feet above the
level of the sea, and only a: couple of miles from the house. As soon
as they were sufficiently enthusiastic on the subject, I broached my
favourite project of our all going up there over-night, and camping
out on the highest peak. Strange to say, the plan did not meet with any
opposition, even from F----, who has had to camp out many a winter's
night, and with whom, therefore, the novelty may be said to have worn
off. Two gentlemen of the proposed party were "new chums" like myself,
and were strongly in favour of a little roughing; new-chums always are,
I observe. F---- hesitated a little about giving a final consent on
the score of its being rather too late in the year, and talked of a
postponement till next summer, but we would not listen to such an idea;
so he ended by entering so heartily into it, that when at last the
happy day and hour came, an untoward shower had not the least effect in
discouraging him.
There was a great bustle about the little homestead on that eventful
Tuesday afternoon. Two very steady old horses were saddled, one for me
and the other for one of the "new chums," who was not supposed to be
in good form for a long walk, owing to a weak knee. Everything which we
thought we could possibly want was heaped on and around us after we
had mounted; the rest of the gentlemen, four in number, walked, and
we reached the first stage of our expedition in about an hour. Here we
dismounted, as the horses could go no further in safety. The first
thing done was to see to their comfort and security; the saddles were
carefully deposited under a large flax-bush in case of rain, and the
long tether ropes were arranged so as to ensure plenty of good feed and
water for both horses, without the possibility of the ropes becoming
entangled in each other or in anything else. Then came a time of great
excitement and laughing and talking, for all the "swags" had to be
packed and apportioned for the very long and steep ascent before us.
And now I must tell you exactly what we took up. A pair of large double
blankets to make the tent of,--that was one swag, and a very unwieldy
one it was, strapped knapsack fashion, with straps of flax-leaves, on
the back, and the bearer's coat and waistcoat fastened on the top of the
whole. The next load consisted of one small single blanket for my
sole use, inside of which was packed a cold leg of lamb. I carried the
luncheon basket, also strapped on my shoulders, filled with two large
bottles of cream, some tea and sugar, and, I think, teaspoons. It looked
a very insignificant load by the side of the others, but I assure you I
found it frightfully heavy long before I had gone half-way up the hill.
The rest distributed among them a couple of large heavy axes, a small
coil of rope, some bread, a cake, tin plates and pannikins, knives
and forks, and a fine pigeon-pie. Concerning this pie there were two
abominable propositions; one was to leave it behind, and the other
was to eat it then and there: both of these suggestions were, however,
indignantly rejected. I must not forget to say we included in the
commissariat department two bottles of whisky, and a tiny bottle of
essence of lemon, for the manufacture of toddy. We never see a real
lemon, except two or three times a year when a ship arrives from the
Fiji islands, and then they are sixpence or a shilling apiece. All these
things were divided into two large heavy "swags," and to poor F---- was
assigned the heaviest and most difficult load of all--the water. He
must have suffered great anxiety all the way, for if any accident had
happened to his load, he would have had to go back again to refill his
big kettle; this he carried in his hand, whilst a large tin vessel with
a screw lid over its mouth was strapped on his back also full of water,
but he was particularly charged not to let a drop escape from the spout
of the kettle; and I may mention here, that though he took a long time
about it, for he could not go as straight up the hill as we did, he
reached the top with the kettle full to the brim--the other vessel
was of course quite safe. All these packings and repackings, and the
comfortable adjustment of the "swags," occupied a long time, so it was
past five when we began our climb, and half-past six when we reached the
top of the hill, and getting so rapidly dark that we had to hurry our
preparations for the night, though we were all so breathless that
a "spell" (do you know that means _rest_?) would have been most
acceptable. The ascent was very steep, and there were no sheep-tracks to
guide us; our way lay through thick high flax-bushes, and we never could
have got on without their help. I started with a stick, but soon threw
it aside and pulled myself up by the flax, hand over hand. Of course
I had to stop every now and then to rest, and once I chose the same
flax-bush where three young wild pigs had retired for the night, having
first made themselves the most beautiful bed of tussock grass bitten
into short lengths; the tussocks are very much scattered here, so it
must have been an afternoon's work for them; but the shepherds say these
wild pigs make themselves a fresh bed every night.
The first thing to be done was to pitch the tent on the little flat at
the very top of the hill: it was a very primitive affair; two of the
thinnest and longest pieces of totara, with which Flagpole is strewed,
we used for poles, fastening another piece lengthwise to these upright
sticks as a roof-tree: this frame was then covered with the large
double blanket, whose ends were kept down on the ground by a row of the
heaviest stones to be found. The rope we had brought up served to tie
the poles together at the top, and to fasten the blanket on them; but as
soon as the tent had reached this stage, it was discovered that the
wind blew through it from end to end, and that it afforded very little
protection. We also found it much colder at the top of this hill than
in our valley; so under these circumstances it became necessary to
appropriate my solitary blanket to block up one end of the tent and
make it more comfortable for the whole party. It was very little shelter
before this was done. The next step was to collect wood for a fire,
which was not difficult, for at some distant time the whole of the hill
must have been covered by a forest of totara trees; it has apparently
been destroyed by fire, for the huge trunks and branches which still
strew the steep sides are charred and half burnt. It is a beautiful
wood, with a strong aromatic odour, and blazed and crackled splendidly
in the clear, cool evening air, as we piled up a huge bonfire, and put
the kettle on to boil. It was quite dusk by this time, so the gentlemen
worked hard at collecting a great supply of wood, as the night promised
to be a very cold one, whilst I remained to watch the kettle, full of
that precious liquid poor F---- had carried up with such care, and to
prevent the wekas from carrying off our supper, which I had arranged
just inside the tent. In this latter task I was nobly assisted by my
little black terrier Dick, of whose sad fate I must tell you later.
By eight o'clock a noble pile of firewood had been collected, and we
were very tired and hungry; so we all crept inside the tent, which did
not afford very spacious accommodation, and began our supper. At this
point of the entertainment everybody voted it a great success; although
the wind was slowly rising and blowing from a cold point, and our
blanket-tent did not afford the perfect warmth and shelter we had fondly
credited it with. The gentlemen began to button up their coats. I had
only a light serge jacket on, so I coaxed Dick to sit at my back
and keep it warm; for, whilst our faces were roasted by the huge
beacon-fire, there was a keen and icy draught behind us. The hot tea was
a great comfort, and we enjoyed it thoroughly, and after it was over
the gentlemen lit their pipes, and I told them a story: presently we had
glees, but by ten o'clock there was no concealing the fact that we were
all very sleepy indeed; however, we still loudly declared that camping
out was the most delightful experiment. F---- and another gentleman
(that kind and most good-natured Mr. U----, who lives with us) went
outside the tent, armed with knives, and cut all the tussocks they could
feel in the darkness, to make me a bed after the fashion of the pigs;
they brought in several armfuls, and the warmest corner in the tent was
heaped with them; I had my luncheon-basket for a pillow, and announced
that I had turned in and was very comfortable, and that camping out was
charming; the gentlemen were still cheery, though sleepy; and the last
thing I remember was seeing preparations being made for what a Frenchman
of my acquaintance always will call a "grogs." When I awoke, I thought I
must have slept several hours. Though the fire was blazing grandly, the
cold was intense: I was so stiff I could hardly move; all my limbs ached
dreadfully, and my sensations altogether were new and very disagreeable.
I sat up with great difficulty and many groans, and looked round: two
figures were coiled up, like huge dogs, near me; two more, moody and
sulky, were smoking by the fire; with their knees drawn up to their
noses and their hands in their pockets, collars well up round their
throats--statues of cold and disgust. To my inquiries about the hour,
the answer, given in tones of the deepest despondency, was "Only eleven
o'clock, and the sun doesn't rise till six, and its going to be the
coldest night we've had this year." The speaker added, "If it wasn't so
dark that we'd break our necks on the way, we might go home."
Here was a pretty end to our amusement. I slowly let myself down again,
and tried to go to sleep, but that relief was at an end for the night;
the ground seemed to grow harder every moment, or, at all events, I
ached more, and the wind certainly blew higher and keener. Dick proved
himself a most selfish doggie; he would creep round to leeward of _me_,
whilst I wanted him to let me get leeward of him, but he would not
consent to this arrangement. Whenever I heard a deeper moan or sigh than
usual, I whispered an inquiry as to the hour, but the usual reply,
in the most cynical voice, was, "Oh, you need not whisper, nobody is
asleep." I heard one plaintive murmur "Think of all our warm beds, and
of our coming up here from choice." I must say I felt dreadfully ashamed
of myself for my plan; it was impossible to express my contrition and
remorse, for, always excepting Mr. U----, they were all too cross to
be spoken to. It certainly was a weary, long night. About one o'clock I
pretended to want some hot tea, and the preparation for that got through
half an hour, and it warmed us a little; but everybody still was deeply
dejected, not to say morose. After an interval of only two hours more
of thorough and intense wretchedness we had a "grogs," but there was no
attempt at conviviality--subdued savageness was the prevailing state of
mind. I tried to infuse a little hope into the party, by suggestions of
a speedy termination to our misery, but my own private opinion was that
we should all be laid up for weeks to come with illness. I allotted to
myself in this imaginary distribution of ills a severe rheumatic fever;
oh! how I ached, and I felt as if I never could be warm again. The fire
was no use; except to afford occupation in putting on wood; it roasted a
little bit of you at a time, and that bit suffered doubly from the cold
when it was obliged to take its share of exposure to the wind. I cannot
say whether the proverb is true of other nights, but this particular
night, certainly, was both darkest and coldest just before dawn.
At last, to our deep joy, and after many false alarms, we really all
agreed that there was a faint streak of grey in the east. My first
impulse was to set off home, and I believe I tried to get up expressing
some such intention, but F---- recalled me to myself by saying, in great
surprise, "Are you not going to stop and see the sun rise?" I had quite
forgotten that this was the avowed object of the expedition, but I
was far too stiff to walk a yard, so I was obliged to wait to see what
effect the sunrise would have on my frozen limbs, for I could not think
of any higher motive. Presently some one called out "There's the sea,"
and so it was, as distinct as though it were not fifty miles off; none
of us had seen it since we landed; to all of us it is associated with
the idea of going home some day: whilst we were feasting our eyes on it
a golden line seemed drawn on its horizon; it spread and spread, and as
all the water became flooded with a light and glory which hardly seemed
to belong to this world, the blessed sun came up to restore us all
to life and warmth again. In a moment, in less than a moment, all our
little privations and sufferings vanished as if they had never existed,
or existed only to be laughed at. Who could think of their "Ego" in such
a glorious presence, and with such a panorama before them? I did not
know which side to turn to first. Behind me rose a giant forest in the
far hills to the west--a deep shadow for miles, till the dark outline
of the pines stood out against the dazzling snow of the mountains behind
it; here the sky was still sheltering the flying night, and the white
outlines looked ghostly against the dull neutral tints, though every
peak was sharply and clearly defined; then I turned round to see before
me such a glow of light and beauty! For an immense distance I could see
the vast Canterbury plains; to the left the Waimakiriri river, flowing
in many streams, "like a tangled bunch of silver ribbons" (as Mr. Butler
calls it in his charming book on New Zealand), down to the sea; beyond
its banks the sun shone on the windows of the houses at Oxford, thirty
miles off as the crow would fly, and threw its dense bush into strong
relief against the yellow plains. The Port Hills took the most lovely
lights and shadows as we gazed on them; beyond them lay the hills of
Akaroa, beautiful beyond the power of words to describe. Christchurch
looked quite a large place from the great extent of ground it appeared
to cover. We looked onto the south: there was a slight haze over the
great Ellesmere Lake, the water of which is quite fresh, though only
separated from the sea by a slight bar of sand; the high banks of the
Rakaia made a deep dark line extending right back into the mountains,
and beyond it we could see the Rangitata faintly gleaming in the
distance; between us and the coast were green patches and tiny
homesteads, but still few and far between; close under our feet, and
looking like a thread beneath the shadow of the mountain, ran the Selwyn
in a narrow gorge, and on its bank stood the shepherd's hut that I have
told you once afforded us such a good luncheon; it looked a mere toy, as
if it came out of a child's box of playthings, and yet so snug for all
its lonely position. On the other hand lay our own little home, with the
faint wreath of smoke stealing up through the calm air (for the wind had
dropped at sunrise). Here and there we saw strings of sheep going down
from their high camping-grounds to feed on the sunny slopes and in
the warm valleys. Every moment added to our delight and enjoyment; but
unfortunately it was a sort of happiness which one can neither speak of
at the time, nor write about afterwards: silence is its most expressive
language. Whilst I was drinking in all the glory and beauty before me,
some of the others had been busy striking the tent, repacking the loads,
very much lighter without the provisions; and we had one more excellent
cup of tea before abandoning the encampment to the wekas, who must have
breakfasted splendidly that morning. Our last act was to collect all
the stones we could move into a huge cairn, which was built round a tall
pole of totara; on the summit of this we tied securely, with flax, the
largest and strongest pocket-handkerchief, and then, after one look
round to the west--now as glowing and bright as the radiant east--we set
off homewards about seven o'clock; but it was long before we reached
the place where we left the horses, for the gentlemen began rolling
huge rocks down the sides of the hills and watching them crashing and
thundering into the valleys, sometimes striking another rock and then
bounding high into the air. They were all as eager and excited as
schoolboys, and I could not go on and leave them, lest I should get
below them and be crushed under a small stone of twenty tons or so. I
was therefore forced to keep well _above_ them all the time. At last we
reached the spur where the horses were tethered, re-saddled and loaded
them, and arrived quite safely at home, just in time for baths and
breakfast. I was amused to see that no one seemed to remember or allude
to the miseries and aches of that long cold night; all were full of
professions of enjoyment. But I noticed that the day was unusually
quiet; the gentlemen preferred a bask in the verandah to any other
amusement, and I have reason to believe they indulged in a good many
naps.