32 
GOONDI 
CHAP. 
water’s edge with vividly green foliage, and a living 
network of creepers and palms. 
Fifteen miles farther, on the Johnstone River, we 
came to the small, picturesque town of Geraldton. 
Here we seemed to be in the very heart of tropical 
Queensland. I spent the night at the little hotel, 
which was crowded ; the manager, with most bound- 
less hospitality, placed all his belongings, such as they 
were, at my entire disposal. Then, having break- 
fasted there next morning, I paid my small bill and 
walked down to the steam launch, which was to take 
me to Goondi Sugar Plantation. While I was wait- 
ing, Captain Clarke of the Palmer climbed a very 
high tree that was hanging over the bank of the river 
to get me a beautiful Eugenia that was in blossom. 
It was now very warm, and, as we had to tow a 
barge laden with sugar-cane behind us, we went along 
at a crawling pace. Thus, though we had started at 
ten, it was past one before we reached the house, 
although only five or six miles up. The river is very 
beautiful, and the thick, tangled vegetation comes 
down to the water’s edge. It is so dense that it would 
be impossible to get through it except by cutting your 
way. From the tall palms above, trailing creepers 
crossed and intertwined their graceful plumes among fan- 
like branches, great bunches of scarlet berries drooped 
from a dark-leafed tree to the ground in heavy plumes. 
Here and there a bean tree (native chestnut) thrust 
a crimson -flowered branch through the dense foliage 
to catch the sunlight from above ; large water hibiscus 
trees were everywhere shedding their blossoms, and the 
eddy of the current swept the crimson heaps in dozens 
under the banks, while ipomeas, white, purple, blue and 
pink, wild ginger and endless trailing plants formed a 
thick undergrowth everywhere below. 
