The sudden transition from the rays of a burning sun to this cold bath made my teeth chatter as if I had a tertian ague.

When half our work was completed we breakfasted in the beautiful ravine amidst the dark luxuriant vegetation of the tropics, formed by the pandanus, bamboo, and palm.
After breakfast the men recommenced their labour on the road.

About two P.M.it was completed, and we then loaded the ponies and set out.

The poor animals were however so weak that it was almost impossible to get them to move; they stumbled and fell repeatedly, and thus thereby not only injured themselves but so delayed our movements that we only made three miles and a half during the day, and then halted for the night on very elevated land, and in a good position, for we were on a little sandy rise, along the base of which ran a stream, distant about one hundred yards.
WORST DIFFICULTIES SURMOUNTED.
Having thus gained the elevated plains I laid down to sleep, satisfied that the worst of our labours were over; yet I could not but recollect that it had taken us ten days to reach a spot which by the proper route was only a short day's journey from the valley we were first encamped in, and that in our march through the country we had been compelled to traverse we had lost seven ponies, and injured many of those remaining; all these difficulties arose from our departure having been delayed so long that the rains had set in and so flooded the country that we could not proceed by the proper route..