Survivor: The Autobiography (22 page)

27 April
Turned out early and tore up one of my blankets to make shirts, as my clothes were worn out in the bush. The river and creeks so high that we cannot cross any of them; the smallest stream a few days since is now impassable.

28 April
Rained till night, when it cleared up. Made a good fire and dried our clothes, ready for a start back in the morning, should it be fine. We are all very weak for the want of sufficient food. If we could travel we could always get sufficient food, but it is having to camp in wet weather that kills us.

29 April
Packed up a few things which we cannot do well without, leaving behind picks, shovels, tin dishes, gimlets, nails, spokeshave, chisels, and several other things, which made our swags much lighter, but they felt just as heavy, on account of our weak state. We got a few miles up the river south, and had a good feed on some paradise ducks that we shot, turned in and felt much refreshed. The place we left this morning is situated about half a mile east of the river, lies due south from Jackson’s Bay, and 30 miles east of the coast.

30 April
Continued on our course up the river – a very bushy sideling of a steep mountain gorge, with the white foam of the river some hundreds of feet below us – jumping from one precipice to another, which under any other circumstances would have looked pretty. We did not, however, stop long to admire it, as then it looked hideous. Toiled away till night, when we had a hard matter to find a piece of ground 6 ft square on which to pitch the tent, and harder still to light a fire and cook four magpies we had shot on the road.

1 May
Got up the river a few miles and came to a precipice and a very large and deep waterfall. It took us a long time to ascend, but we succeeded after many difficulties and dangers, our lives many times depending on a few blades of grass, which grow out of the face of the rocks. After a few miles further we came to a nice flat, where we could see there was any amount of game. Camped here the following day, hunting.

3 May
Crossed the river and up the saddle, which leads up the side of a large burnt mountain; in gaining the top of which we had a few hours of fearful danger. The stones are so soft or rotten that we could not tell the moment our feet would give way and down we should go several hundred feet. At one time we were two hours getting twenty yards. Reached the top at one p.m. Ran it along south, which way our course lay, till near dark, then camped at the side of a little creek running down the side of the mountain higher up. There are three small lakes on this mountain nearly of the same size, with a few ducks on them.

4 May
Made an early start, but it commenced raining about 10 a.m. and continued so all day. I lost the run of my mates all of a sudden, I having kept a little lower down on the side of the mountain. I thought nothing of it at the time, as we had often parted and met together again, but this time I cooeyed and got no answer. Thinking they were ahead I hurried on, but left them behind. Cooeyed all the way as I went, but got no answer. Could see the river down under me in the flat; got down, waited for an hour, but no sign of them; fired two guns hoping they would hear them, but no answer; so I gave them up, thinking that they had crossed along the side and over the mountain more to the eastward. I proceeded to follow up the river all the afternoon and shot one blue mountain duck, which I may say is all the provisions I have. I am very badly fitted for the road before me, having no dog and every appearance of a week or two’s rain, as at every change of the moon we have had a week’s rain lately, sometimes more. I have about three-quarters of a pound of oatmeal and a long weary road to travel. Travelled all the afternoon up the river; saw several creeks coming in, with quartz reefs showing and quartz boulders, and every indication of gold, but did not stop, as I had nothing to try a bit of dirt with. Still continued walking. Camped.

5 May
I am camped on the side of a mountain by the side of a foaming creek, the rain coming down in torrents; cannot light a fire. Got two little ducks, but cannot cook them; had raw oatmeal for breakfast; have had nothing since yesterday morning, and walked all day, then pitched the tent and turned in with wet clothes and blankets. Got a fire at night, cooked one of my little ducks and ate it.

6 May
Still raining, with snow mixed. I am certain this is snow on the mountains; if so I shall have a hard matter to get over. Very cold; could not sleep last night, my teeth cracking together all night with cold, and cramp in my legs. I do not feel at all well. The rats stole my little duck, which I intended for this day’s food. This is the first day I have been heartily sick of the country. Nothing to eat; cannot light a fire; all my clothes and blankets wet. I am indeed miserable.

7 May
Turned out and had a look; any amount of snow on the surrounding hills, and still snowing fast and freezing. Turned in again; slept all day, or rather stopped in bed.

8 May
Still snowing and no sign of a change; no food.

9 May
Turned out early; any amount of snow in the night. I do not know what to do now. I intended to have started this morning, wet or dry, snow or rain, but I am completely jammed in. I cannot move; snow falling thick and fast. Whether to go back and follow the river round to Plenty Lake, or to try and get over the mountains to Mineral Creek is a consideration which I cannot decide on. Night coming on again; nothing to eat, and fearfully cold.

10 May
Turned out early; wrung the tent and clothes as well as I could, packed up and tried to go right up the mountain to the eastward, in hopes of seeing a smoke from my mates’ fire, knowing they cannot be far off; but after toiling hard for half a day and falling in the snow head-first some hundreds of times, found it impossible to get up. Had to start away for the river again, and try and get up to its head and over the saddle. I have not eaten anything now for several days. There is a little spear-grass here; if I could get a fire to boil, or rather roast it, I think I could pass a day or two, but even that is forbidden. It is now snowing; two feet six inches solid snow by my tent, and I believe there is a deal more on the mountain. Turned into my wet blankets again for another night’s misery.

11 May
Could not sleep a minute all night; had to keep my legs and feet constantly in motion to keep the blood in circulation, and if I stopped a minute my feet felt dead with cold, and I should have the cramp in my legs. My clothes are still wet; there can be very little heat in me, or my clothes would dry sleeping in them all night; I must try and get a fire before I leave here if possible, to dry my blankets and flannels or another night like last will cook me. Rain, snow, and sleet, very heavy all day. Tried hard to get a fire, but could not; turned in again to my wet blankets.

12 May
Rain and sleet very heavy; looks very bad; cannot get out of the tent; I do not know what is to be done, so turn into my wet blankets again to keep me warm, for it is fearful cold, thinking of Edward Dunmore and the ‘Maori Hen’. If I have to stop here a few days more I shall be just as bad. (By the bye, I forgot to mention that I made every enquiry possible about the ‘Maori Hen’, but could not hear whether he got to Fox’s or not.) I have had one little duck to eat for the last six days, yet strange to say I do not feel hungry. This will not do much longer, but on the side of a mountain covered with three or four feet of snow it is a hard matter to get food of any description. Went out in the afternoon to try and shoot something, but could not see anything to shoot – not even a robin. Found a root of spear-grass, ate some of it but could not enjoy it raw; then turned in for another night’s rocking about.

13 May
Turned out this morning with the intention of making a start, but the weather is so bad I am afraid to stir, it is raining heavily and the snow is thawing a little.

14 May
Turned out early; wrung the tent and other things, which were very wet, packed up once more, and made a start. Got on very well for about half a mile, when my legs began to fail me, and I found I could not get more than twenty yards at a spell. Toiled away till I saw by the sun it was nearly noon, and I had not got one mile away from the timber where I was camped, and was completely done, so there was nothing for it but desert my swag or die here. The former idea I carried into effect. I threw away everything but my blankets, gun, and a little powder and shot, which was my only dependence. Amongst the things I abandoned was a couple of specimens which we got in the Little River, and a small parcel of gold, which we found in prospecting, with maps, books, etc., all of which I have before mentioned. After throwing away my swag I had a very hard task to get up the hill, as there was over two feet snow and very soft. I kept slipping and falling, till at length I arrived at the top of the saddle and saw a creek at the other side, and a grassy flat about a mile long and half a mile wide. I got to the river by sundown, and was going to the west end of the flat to camp, and try to get a duck or something to eat; but on looking up the creek I saw a smoke, which I went to and found my mates camped there. They were surprised to see me. I was greatly reduced since they saw me, and was very weak – just able to put one foot before another. I asked them if they had anything to eat; they said they had had nothing that day, but they started hunting, and got two Maori hens which they gave me, and with the heat of the fire I was much refreshed.

15 May
Rained all day till noon. Miserable living; we are just alive and very weak.

16 May
Turned out and started up the creek with nothing to eat; walked all day up right-hand branch of Wild Dog Creek; shot two magpies at noon and ate them raw, which refreshed us much at the time. We reached a long way up by night and camped under an overhanging rock, just under the snow. Nothing to eat but a little grass root: fearfully cold.

17 May
Started early to try and get over the snow and down the other side. Had a fearful hard day’s toil. Here is about a mile long of pure ice, as clear as crystal; you can see down into it several fathoms, just like looking down into the blue ocean, and no such thing as walking on it. We had to go round several times to where there was a little fresh snow lying on it, to be able to get along. At length made the foot of the saddle, and then we had some climbing to do to get up the mountain, which was covered with frost and snow, at an angle of 75 degrees. I was so weak that I thought I must give in, but I ate plenty of the little snowberries which grow under the snow. They helped us on a good deal, and we reached the top about 2 p.m. What a sight then met our eyes! Nothing but mountains of snow as far as we could see, in every direction but west. We got down by powerful exertion. At one time Simonin was behind me; I heard him sing out ‘Look out’, I turned round and he was coming down the snow at a fearful rate, head first, on his back. He held the gun in one hand, but had to let it go, when both he and the gun passed me at the rate of a swallow, and did not stop till they reached a little flat about two miles down, with a fall of 1,000 feet. I thought he was killed, but he was all right, with the exception of being a little frightened. We got down to the head of the flat and camped. Such a day I hope never to see again.

18 May
Snow and sleet all day. Tried to get away, but had to camp again about six miles down the gorge. Had to camp under a rock, in a foot of snow. No fire, wet clothes, and nothing to eat. Hard times.

19 May
Turned out early and started down the gorge, which took us all day. Snow and rain all day. Reached the flat at dark and camped in the bush with two feet of snow. Had a fearful job to light a fire. Fearfully cold night; our feet frostbitten and very sore.

20 May
Rain and snow. Could not stir out before the evening, when it turned out fine and we went hunting. Night very cold; snowing hard again and freezing.

21 May
Travelled down a large flat and entered into the heaviest and steepest gorge
³
I ever saw. Here we were very near losing Farrell. He volunteered to be lowered down by a flax rope on to a rock about 14 feet over the water, and thus pass our swags across; but when he got halfway down the rope broke and away he went into a fearful boiling eddy in the creek. I looked but could not see him anywhere for over a minute and a half, when I saw him rise just at the top of the precipice and seize at another rock, which he succeeded in catching hold of and getting upon. If he had gone 4 ft farther, he would have been dashed down a precipice 200 ft so that he would never have been seen any more. Camped that night on the bare stones by the side of the creek. Nothing for a bed and nothing to eat. Very cold.

22 May
Made a start early. Saw the Plenty Lake. Could not make out where we were till we got near the flat; then could see the Wild Dog River, and knew we were about halfway between the two lakes. Just able to walk, but very weak. Caught two kakapo and two magpies, and had a better supper than we had had for many a day.

23 May
Went out early to shoot something for breakfast, but could get nothing. Kept close to the left-hand range, going down towards Poverty Lake.

24 May
Kept on down the side of the range, hunting as we went along.

25 May
Turned out before daylight to try and shoot some kakas, which were over us in the high trees, as the pine is an immense height; these birds come here to roost at night, and fly away to the mountains at daylight. Could not see them; got to our old camp on Poverty Lake by sundown. Camped and had a good supper. Feel much refreshed but our feet are very sore; all our toes are covered with running sores; Simonin’s feet are not bad; I believe mine are far the worst. I do hope we shall get a few days fine weather, so as to enable us to get into the Wakatip once more.

26 May
Another change in the weather. Rain again. Cannot get out of the tent. Nothing to eat all day.

27 May
Rain again all day. We shall be worse off than ever if this weather continues. We are very weak and no chance of any fish or game here as we are now on an island, on account of the lake rising all round us and running back into the lagoons. Got a little fern root.