Tuesday, January 14th

We awoke from our lair at half past four, and kindled a fire with the remains of the sticks which had served us for beds. This cheered us up a little, and off we set against five towards Oxford, intending to stop at the first 'wood and water' for breakfast. This we found within two miles of our start. We cooked some tea and bacon and, with the beautiful hills of Harewood Forest before us, embosomed in wood, felt very happy. Yesterday's journey must have been somewhere about twenty miles. Waipapa is so unsatisfactory in his estimates that we have begun to disbelieve in them page 111altogether. Bathed in the Cust and refreshed thereby at the place where we breakfasted. Mount Torlesse bore W.N.W., Mount Grey N.N.E. by compass. We started at half past eight, thinking, or being led to think by Waipapa, that we should be there in an hour. The bush was clearly in view soon after we left the river, but we did not reach it for three hours and a half of weary walking, arriving at twelve o'clock quite jaded and worn out. Turnbull lagged behind at least a mile and was quite knocked up. We found two snug wooden houses built for the surveyors—some of their men busy in putting up a hamper of good things for Torlesse, who was with his party at a little distance. By them I sent a note to Torlesse, and then we took possession of the two houses. We feasted as usual on damper and tea, and refreshed ourselves with reading a few books which lay on a shelf. Soon after our settlement, heavy rain came on from the S.W., and then we felt the full comfort of our situation. Torlesse rode over in the evening and chatted till we went to bed.