46 MYOLA CHAP. 
granite rock and of wild tropical vegetation, sometimes 
palms, vines, bananas, or fairy draperies of hanging 
ferns ; sometimes clusters of orchids, with scarlet flame- 
trees here and there, giving light and brilliant colour to 
the dense masses of vivid greens, which range from the 
palest apple and russet to the deepest olive. 
There are waterfalls in every direction, and presently 
below, far down in the depths of vegetation, one sees the 
Barron River, and away in the distance, between the 
mountains, like another world below, the valley dotted 
with houses, with the blue sea beyond and the faint 
outlines of other distant mountains and the little indistinct 
town of Cairns almost buried amongst them. One longs 
for a few minutes to enjoy it all, but the merciless train 
keeps on, while here and there below one catches glimpses 
of the river dashing over great rocks ; or of passing 
gleams of white foam at the foot of the falls, and finally, 
for one speechless moment, the falls themselves. I 
could only hold my breath and gasp " Oh I " for I was 
on the engine, but the driver gave no response, except- 
ing to heap more coals on the fire. Another second 
and the vision was gone, and we found the river high 
up beside us, breaking and eddying round great rocks, 
or else, without a ripple, gliding along over sandy 
bars. 
Gradually the train slackened its pace and we were 
at our journey's end ; a three minutes' walk brought us 
to this hotel, which consists of two separate houses ; 
our bedrooms and general sitting-room in one, the dining- 
room, kitchens, and other quarters in the other ; a little 
space in the forest only is cleared, and all round us is 
the wild bush ; it is decidedly cooler and I sleep for a 
second time with a blanket over me. Our bedrooms 
are made like loose boxes, a partition running only half- 
way up the wall, and as there are two lai^ families of 
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