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Author's Preface.

It is now a good many years since the events recorded in the following pages occurred. The narrative was given as a true description of the adventures and sufferings of a small party of whalers who were cast ashore on the south-west coast of the South Island of New Zealand. The circumstances of their wreck, and the particulars of nearly three years' residence—part of the time on the shores of one of the deep inlets or sounds which in many instances run for miles into the heart of the mountains; and the remaining period at different places along the same coast—were written almost word for word as described some years ago by one of the few survivors of the shipwrecked party. Up to the time this was written (a month or two previous to his death), it had never occurred to him to commit his adventures to writing; but then, finding himself rapidly failing through old age, he asked the writer of this to do it for him. A slight allowance may be necessary as regards dates contained herein; but as a whole I think—notwithstanding certain unkind suggestions that my old friend was imposing upon the credulity of a “new chum”—that the tale is a true one. With this short preface I will leave old Dick Young to spin his own yarn, and in his name I crave the kind indulgence of the reader.

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