see. But this "looking round,"
to which he alluded so airily, meant scrambling rides, varying from ten
to twenty-eight miles in length, over break-neck country, and this
on the slender chance of finding the men in-doors. Now a New Zealand
shepherd almost lives out on the hills, so the prospect of finding
any of our congregation at home was slight indeed. However, as I said
before, F---- stood by me, and although we neither of us could well
spare the time, we agreed to devote two afternoons every week, so long
as the fine open autumn weather, lasted, to making excursions in search
of back-country huts. There are no roads or finger posts or guides of
any sort in those distant places. When we inquired what was the name of
"Mills" shepherd (the masters are always plain Smith or Jones, and the
shepherds Mr.----, in the colonies) the answer was generally very vague.
"Wiry Bill, we mostly calls 'im; but I think I've heerd say his rightful
name was Mr. Pellet, mum. He's a little chap, as strong as the 'ouse,"
explained Pepper, who was an incorrigible cockney, "and he lives over
there," pointing with his thumb to a mountain range behind us. "He's in
one of them blind gullies. You go along the gorge of the river till you
come to a saddle all over fern, and you drop down that, and follow the
best o' three or four tracts till you come to a swamp."

Here Pepper paused, in consideration of my face of horror; for if there
was one thing I dreaded more than another in those early days, it was a
swamp. Steep hill sides, wide creeks, honey-combed flats, all came in,
the day's ride,--but a swamp! Ugh! the horrible treacherous thing, so
green and innocent looking, with here and there a quicksand or a peaty
morass, in which, without a moment's warning, your horse sank up to his
withers! It was dreadful, and when we came to such a place Helen used to
stop dead short, prick her pretty ears well forward, and, trembling with
fear and excitement, put her nose close to the ground, smelling every
inch, before she would place her fore foot down on it, jumping off it
like a goat if it proved insecure. Generally she crossed a swamp, by a
series of bounds in and out of flax bushes; and hopeless indeed would a
morass be without those green cities of refuge!

Horrible as a large swamp is however to a timid horsewoman, it is dear
to the heart of a cockatoo. He gladly buys a freehold of fifty acres
in the midst of one, burns it, makes a sod fence, sown wi