Page:Some Account of New Zealand.pdf/115

96 and was not only merry himself but the cause of mirth in others.

During the long and dreary course between New Zealand and Cape Horn, Moyhanger preserved a great degree of cheerfulness—his morning and evening song were never forgotten: he amused himself among the sailors, and frequently exercised his talent for mimicry at their expense.

The distant view of Cape Horn gave him much satisfaction; I believe indeed that he began to apprehend that he had embarked on a world of waters in the literal sense of the word.

When we approached the land, and discovered it covered with snow, he appeared to be a good deal disappointed, and concluded that he had done wrong in leaving a fine fertile country for one that appeared to be sterile in the extreme.

They estimate the value of land by the quantity of potatoes it produces, and as there were no signs of cultivation here,