occupation at home consequent on a new establishment.

Directly after breakfast, the horses were caught and saddled, and we
started in high spirits. As we rode up the long, sunny valley
stretching away for miles at the back of the house, F--- pointed out
to me, with all a sheep-farmer's pride, the hundreds of pretty
little curly-fleeced lambs skipping about the low hill-sides. After
we passed our own boundary fence we came upon a very bad track,--
this is the name by which all roads are called, and they do not
deserve a better,--but it was the only path to our destination. The
air was mild and balmy, and the sun shone brightly as we slowly
picked our way across bogs and creeks, and up and down steep,
slippery hill-sides; but just as we reached the lowest saddle of the
range and prepared to descend, a cold wind met us. In an instant
the sunshine was overclouded, and F---, pointing to a grey bank of
cloud moving quickly towards us, said, "There is a tremendous
sou'-wester coming up; we had better push on for shelter, or you'll
be drowned:" but, alas! at each step the road grew worse and worse;
where it was level the ground was literally honeycombed with deep
holes half full of water, and at last we came to a place where the
horse had to descend a flight of stone steps, each step being
extremely slippery and some way below the other; and at the bottom
of this horrible staircase there was a wide jump to be taken, the
spring being off the lowest step, and the jump upwards alighting on
a steep bank up which the horses scrambled like cats. Getting wet
through appeared to me a very minor evil compared to the dangers of
such a road, but F--- urged me forward, with assurances that the
horse knew the path perfectly well and could carry me at a gallop
quite safely; but it was impossible to infuse sufficient courage
into my drooping heart to induce me to go faster than a walk.