In some places there was not room for the track in the narrow defiles, and we had to wade up the stream in more than one place for a distance of nearly a hundred yards. Here and there a few trees of stunted birch could be seen growing on the hillsides, and now and again a pretty waterfall leaped out in a surprising manner from somewhere or other aud poured itself down in graceful silvery threads over the black rock, to join the parent stream. Up the stream and across it, then over a little bit of dry path at jog-trot, and then across the stream again and again—so the performance was re peated; and at length, after riding six miles, and in that distance crossing the creek 84 times, we arrived at the mine just at the gloaming, and were cordially welcomed by Mr Evans, the

genial manager. Seated before a blazing fire in the snuggery, smoking our Havanas and sipping our Moselle and Roderef, we could not but wonder at all the little conveniences around us ; and when a little later, without a word of warning, the electric light shone forth, it was hard to realise that we were in the wilds of Wakatipu, that we had ridden miles over a wonderful track in the basin of the Shotover, aud that we had crossed that wonderfully crooked little Skippers creek 84 times in a

distance of only six miles. But there were fresh surprises awaiting us. We dined with our

pleasant hostess, Mrs J. Evans, and then proceeded to the library hall, where Mr Fergus delivered a capital address to the whole male population of the place. Here, too, the electric current was laid under contribution for

illumiuating purposes. While Mr Fergus was in the lamps suddenly went out, and speaker and audience were left in total darkness. Mr Fergus gooil-humouredly intimated that he could talk just as well in the dark, and pro ceeded with his speech, but in less than half-a-minute the hall was again brilliantly illuminated with the candles the miners had taken to guide their footsteps over the sidling paths to the place of meeting. The accident to the machinery was only of a trivial nature; when ws -jot back to Mr Evans' house we found the lig'iil again in thorough working order. 