made of pine framing covered with boards and
pine shingles. The outbuildings were usually built with roughly squared
framing to which heavy split slabs would be vertically fastened, the
inside being left rough or plastered with mud as desired; and the roofs
were of round pine framing covered with rickers (young pine plants) and
thatched with snow grass. Squatters soon learnt to be their own
architects, and very good ones many of them turned out.

The country immediately surrounding the station was almost treeless, and
Mr. Lee was doing a good deal of planting, and had a very fine garden
under formation. Some two miles to the rear of the station, in a deep
cleft of the hills, lay a considerable black and white pine forest. It
is a peculiarity of New Zealand that the pine forests indigenous to that
country (and which bear no similarity to European pines) are invariably
found in more or less accurately defined patches, growing thickly and
never scattered to any appreciable extent. One may ride twenty miles
through spurs and hills with no vegetation on them, and then suddenly
stumble on a densely wooded ravine or mountain side so accurately
contained within itself as to lead one to imagine it had been originally
planted.

Within twenty miles of Highfield was another station, called Parnassus,
belonging to Mr. Edward Lee, our Mr. Lee's brother. We soon rode over to
see him, and made excursions to other neighbours, none living nearer
than ten miles.

There were upwards of one hundred horses at Highfield, including all
ages and sexes, of which the main body of course ran wild, while a few
were kept in paddocks for use. The horse Mrs. Lee rode from Christchurch
was a new purchase and a very fine animal, named Maseppa, and, strange
to say, although he carried her perfectly all the journey to Highfield,
he had now, after a few weeks on the run, developed into a vicious
buckjumper. One day, when Mr. Lee wanted to ride him, he was driven in
with the mob and saddled. Immediately he was mounted the brute bucked
and sent Mr. Lee flying. Fortunately the ground was soft, and he escaped
with a few bruises. C---- then had a try, with more success, but the
horse was never safe for a lady to ride, and he was soon after disposed
of to a stock-rider on the Waiou.

It may be interesting here to give a general sketch of a sheep-farmer's
life and work on his station, obtained from my experience at Highfield,
and occasionally on other runs, d