AS I WAS GOING TO ST. IVES 91 



And when the path leads, as ours did, into a lovely gully 

 whose very existence is undreamed of, you know that it was 

 well worth while to leave the dusty high road. We had been 

 following a tame suburban street, with neat cottages and tidy 

 gardens on either side, when a sudden bend in the path 

 brought us, without any warning, to the edge of a gully as 

 green and wild as one would find in the heart of the mountains. 

 Sassafras and black wattle struggled together over the rush- 

 ing stream, maidenhair grew thickly under the cutty grass, the 

 young fronds of the herring-bone fern made little pink blushes 

 amongst the grey rocks, while over all bent the beautiful red- 

 gums. The road crossed the creek by means of a white 

 bridge, but the gully had hardly been disturbed by the builders. 

 It was a fascinating beginning to our walk, and we congratu- 

 lated ourselves in having ventured on a new way. And, as the 

 road led us up on the other side to a stretch of open country, 

 we felt quite superior to the stupid people who trudged along 

 in the dust and smell of the motor-cars. There was no dust 

 here, no smell of petrol to wrinkle up our noses with disgust; 

 but the autumn sun drew the fragrance from the gum leaves, a 

 little breeze came across the open space, gently laden with the 

 scent of orange blossom, and the real bush smell rose from the 

 ground as we crushed small plants beneath our feet. A fan- 

 tail flirted by us with a friendly flutter of her tail, and amongst 

 the trees a wagtail called in his cheery way " Aren't you glad 

 you came here?" And, indeed, we were glad. A cuckoo 



