wished, but held out hopes to me that the roof would "kep it down."
I shall never dare to trust the baby out of my sight, lest he should
be blown away; and I have a plan for securing his cradle, by putting
large heavy stones in it, somewhere out of his way, so that he need
not be hurt by them. Some of the houses are built of "cob,"
especially those erected in the very early days, when sawn timber
was rare and valuable: this material is simply wet clay with chopped
tussocks stamped in. It makes very thick walls, and they possess
the great advantage of being cool in summer and warm in winter.
Whilst the house is new nothing can be nicer; but, in a few years,
the hot winds dry up the clay so much, that it becomes quite
pulverized; and a lady who lives in one of these houses told me,
that during a high wind she had often seen the dust from the walls
blowing in clouds about the rooms, despite of the canvas and paper,
and with all the windows carefully closed.

Next week F--- is going up to the station, to unpack and arrange a
little, and baby and I are going to be taken care of at Ilam, the
most charming place I have yet seen. I am looking forward to my
visit there with great pleasure.



Letter VIII: Pleasant days at Ilam.


Ilam, April 1866.
We leave this to-morrow for the station in the most extraordinary
conveyance you ever saw. Imagine a flat tray with two low seats in
it, perched on four very high wheels, quite innocent of any step or