a shepherd of Grey's, happening to descend into the Rakia
river bed in search of some wandering sheep, came upon a roll of red
blankets lying at the foot of a landslip. Going up, he found it to
contain the body of a man half decomposed, and being eaten by rats. Upon
the ground alongside was a pocket-book containing writing and a pencil.

The shepherd, taking the pocket-book, returned speedily to Grey's. Upon
examination the book was found to contain a diary of five days, written
by the unfortunate Parker, before he died of starvation, thirst, and a
broken leg, at the foot of the landslip.

From the entries it appeared that he had been fiddling along (in his
usual absent manner, no doubt) very close to the edge of the Rakia bank,
when a portion of it gave way under his feet, and he fell sliding and
tumbling until he reached the bottom on a bed of shingle, his leg
broken, and his body bruised and shattered. He succeeded in loosening
the swag of blankets he had strapped on his back, wrapped them round him
and lay down, occasionally calling, and always hoping against hope that
some one would discover him. It was a vain hope, poor chap--not twice in
a year's space was a human being seen on that wild river bed. He lived
for five days in the agonies of hunger, thirst and despair, not even a
drop of water could he reach, although the river ran within twenty yards
of him, and at last death mercifully put an end to his misery.

I now returned to work, continuing at the same time the study of my
books, which I kept at the Ashburton, to fit me for the duties of
surveyor and contractor. I was deriving a good return from my sheep and
could add yearly to their number. During the remainder of the summer and
autumn I worked steadily at bush work, hut-building and run-fencing, and
when the winter set in I rigged up a hut in the forest, where I lived
alone and earned a good return for my time in felling and cutting-up
firewood for which I received from the squatters--I think--ten shillings
a cord, 9 ft. by 4 ft. by 4 ft. The Ashburton Valley road had been
greatly improved, and the weekly mail which hitherto ran between
Christchurch and Dunedin was now made bi-weekly, and the stations on the
Ashburton and Rangitata gorges arranged for a regular postman on
horseback to fetch the mail from the Ashburton immediately on arrival,
in lieu of the old plan of having it conveyed from one station to
another by private messengers.

I recollect a r