Mid-Camp,

distant six or seven miles from our [unclear: st] point. It is yet quite early, between [unclear: 10] 10.30, but Ross and Garvey had gone [unclear: a] boil the billy and lay the table in the [unclear: hut] have been counselled by Ross duriug our to "take it easy," and as will be seen [unclear: by] time taken we have not unduly pushed [unclear: ou] on our first stage, although [unclear: notwithstand] the moderate pace we have made we [unclear: are] of a halt and rest, and we throw [unclear: do] swags with manifest relief. [unclear: Mid-camp] good substantial hut, fitted with half [unclear: a] bucks in its principal room, and with [unclear: the] big open fireplace. In the bunks a [unclear: good] of beechtops take the place of [unclear: mattress] a very good substitute they are. [unclear: Part] page 11 off at one end of the hut it a separate apartment for the use of ladies who may make the trip, with leveral bunks similarly mad up. We find on our arrival that the billy is boiling, and tea being made, we enjoy the refreshment prepared for us. We have not long sat down, when Mr and Mrs B. make their appearance, and the lady is received with applause and congratulated on having accomplished the first stage of the trip in practically the same time as the rest of us. After short rest our swags are again strapped [unclear: c] we make a fresh start at 11 o'clock. Our next halting place is the hut at Lake Mmtaro, at the foot of the Cinton Saddle, and distant about seven miles. The part of the valley through which we now put is very fine, a good deal of the walking being through more open country, from which an uninterrupted view of the mountains on each side of us is obtained. The season has been favourable for the melting of thethe snow, and except in shady gulles crevices and at the tops of the peaks there is not much left. The precipitous sides of the mountains, bare and serrated with the wear and tear of ages, and with innumerable stream of a snow-fed water finding their way to the Clinton in a straight descent for hun-dreds of feet, rise almost from our very feet [unclear: aj] the valley narrows. We are all very which interested in our surroundings as we [unclear: dily] pursue our way. We cross Pompolona [unclear: k] by means of the trunks of two fallen [unclear: es] which cross pieces of wood have been [unclear: led,] make our way over a great accumulation [unclear: se] of boulders and dibris which All up a con-[unclear: rable] part of the creek bad, and on through [unclear: as] open space of country, in which the pure [unclear: le] native violet and other flowers indigenous [unclear: as] these regione are blooming in profusion. [unclear: rtly] crossing the creek we paes some ice [unclear: es,] which are worth visiting, to the left of [unclear: d] far distant from the track, but as it is [unclear: ginning] to seem probable that we shall all be [unclear: ble] to stand the walk over the saddle to the [unclear: ch] Huts, it is considered prudent to go straight on and postpone a visit to the ice [unclear: res] until our return. We have been steadily [unclear: ending] since the morning, but almost imper-[unclear: tibly] until we get wiuhin a couple of miles of lake Mintaro, when the track is again through bush and the climbing somewhat [unclear: per.] We pass a tiny sheet of water called Lake Urqahart, and learn that it was named after a visitor who had essayed the walk over to the Beech Huts, but on reaching this point [unclear: in] down exhausted, his legs having given [unclear: y,] He, however, afterwards reached the [unclear: aro] hut, and subsequently did a lot of [unclear: cting] work in ths Clinton valley. We [unclear: h] our way through the short intervening [unclear: ce] of bush, and emerging therefrom at [unclear: 30] after a three hours' walk from Mid-camp, [unclear: see] before us our next halting place.