Page:Through South Westland.djvu/135

Rh not to see or hear the horses; I could see the pile of saddles, and the bridles hanging near the door, but not a horse was in sight. I hurried round the hut, the slip-rails were down, and the horses gone! Going some way down the track I caught a glimpse of them through the trees, but too far off for me to do anything; and I was hot and tired, and a six mile walk just then had no attractions—neither had chasing a wilful Scorpion through the bush; so I sat down and waited. When the men came, our friend declared his horse never had done such a thing before. They made a circuit, and cut them off where the stream and the path ran between the sides of a kind of cutting; and presently, these excursions and alarms being passed, we rode back to supper. We spent another very delightful day resting here. Thunderstorms were rolling about among the hills, and bringing down torrential showers; after which the sun would burst forth again, and all the world sparkle and shine, and the rivers and streams sing for joy. When we made a start the following morning, there was a great deal of laughing and many prophecies as to my fate.

“You’re not the first lady has gone south,” they said, “but they none of them get further than the Karangarua; you’ll never get through! We’ll see you back before the week’s out!” But I waved them a gay farewell: “I’m going into the Haast whatever befall, and you won’t see me back this year; but I’ll come and see you again.” And so we rode out over Cook’s Flat to the Karangarua river. F2