122 
WYALLA 
CHAP. 
Growing in the ridges of the precipice was a pale, 
pink, waxy, tube-shaped flower, with close hard dark 
green leaves. We caught here a very large handsome 
gray moth, and both it and the new flower I painted, on 
my return, after a good hour’s rest. On the last part of 
our journey through the scrub, it was intensely dark ; 
now and then a fire-fly or a phosphorescent fungus 
gave us light, which made the blackness after- 
wards even denser ; and as long as the matches lasted 
the natives lit them and guided us over the slippery 
rocks. Half-way down our horses met us, but 
neither Miss H. nor I took advantage of them, as we 
preferred trusting to our own legs, once or twice having 
found ourselves on the edge of a precipitous rock. We 
were exceedingly glad when we emerged on the plain, 
and more so when over the hill we saw the lights of 
home again. 
Next day some of us started early and went up to 
the Mission Station. We took the horse - tramway 
from the old mill to the river, picking up six native 
men with their spears on the way ; they were not a 
savoury addition, and we were not sorry to part with 
them. A favourite little dog belonging to the H.’s 
that we had with us got his head under the wheel of 
the tram, and a large portion of it was completely 
scalped, exposing the skull. We laid him under the 
shade of a tree thinking him dead, but in a few 
minutes he came running after us, looking a pitiable 
sight ; we bandaged his head up, and a fortnight after 
a thick hairless skin had grown over the wound. 
The Mission boat was at the river to meet us, and a 
crew of natives pulled us up to the Station ; each twist 
and curve of the river disclosing some fresh beauty. 
Here a reach with low banks of bulrushes, yellow water 
lilies and huge caladium leaves, and wings and buds of 
