Identifier: oceanaore00frou (find matches)
Title: Oceana : or, England and her colonies
Year: 1886 (1880s)
Authors: Froude, James Anthony, 1818-1894
Subjects: Great Britain--Colonies
Publisher: London : Longmans, Green, and Co.
Contributing Library: Virginia Beach Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation

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round, besides the commonvarieties, a kidney fern, which was new to me—curious, ifnot otherwise remarkable; and climbing fern, which creptover stick and stone, hanging in long festoons with palegreen fronds—transparent, like the Killarney fern—the mostperfectly lovely subject for imitation in wood-carving that Ihave ever met with. These grew everywhere, covering thewhole surface; only the majestic Kauri tolerated noapproaches to his dignity. Under his branches all wasbare and brown. We made one delightful expedition into the interior.Starting, like Eobinson Crusoe, in a boat for the extremeend of it, we picnicked in a rocky cove. Sir George thenguided me up a steep hillside through a dense thicket ofTi-tree. We emerged on the brow, upon the open neck of along peninsula which reached out into the ocean, with theremains, now overgrown, of a grassy track which once ranacross the island, and ended at the house. It had been cutand cleared as a bridle-road, and Sir George used in past
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A MAORI DINIXG-HALL 3i9 years to take his early ride there with a favourite niece.Strange that in these new countries one should already haveto witness decay and alteration! Sir George has ceased toride; a little more and his island and he will be parted forever. For age will rust the brightest blade,And time will break the stoutest bow;Was never wight so starkly madeBut time and age will lay him low. We turned from the path into the forest, forcing ourway with difficulty through the thicket. Suddenly we cameon a spot where three-quarters of an acre, or an acre, stoodbare of any kind of undergrowth, but arched over by theinterwoven branches of four or five gigantic Pokutukamatrees, whose trunks stood as the columns of a natural hallor temple. The ground was dusty and hard, without traceof vegetation. The roots twisted and coiled over it likea nest of knotted pythons, while other pythons, the Eataparasites, wreathed themselves round the vast stems, twinedup among the boughs, and disapp

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