Chapter XIV
Captain Leech
“On November 5th, I made another start in the Nelson, at 6.30 am. Later in the day it came on to blow so hard that we had to put back, and anchored under Tonga Island. We made another start on the afternoon of the 6th, and that evening we met the Wallaby, a new steamer from Sydney, built to the order of N. Edwards and Company. This boat came down in the nick of time for the West Coast rush. She coined money for her owners; in fact paid for herself in a few trips.
“On the following morning a heavy sea found its way into the cabin, and on going on deck I saw we were putting into Wanganui Inlet, it being too rough for us to proceed. We sheltered there until noon, when the wind having lulled, and the sea gone down, we set out for and reached the Grey at 10.30 p.m.
