being lost and having to
camp out. I felt quite unconcerned, having only my flask with cold
tea in it to see about, and a good walking-stick was easily chosen. My
costume may be described as uncompromising, for it had been explained to
me that there were no paths but real rough bush walking; so I dispensed
with all little feminine adornments even to the dearly-loved chignon,
tucked my hair away as if I was going to put on a bathing-cap, and
covered it with a Scotch bonnet. The rest of my toilette must have been
equally shocking to the eyes of taste, and I have reason to believe the
general effect most hideous; but one great comfort was, no one looked
at me, they were all too much absorbed in preparations for a great
slaughter, and I only came at all upon sufferance; the unexpressed but
prevailing dread, I could plainly see, was that I should knock up and
become a bore, necessitating an early return home; but I knew better!

An American waggon and some ponies were waiting to take the whole party
to the entrance of the bush, about four miles off, and, in spite of
having to cross a rough river-bed, which is always a slow process, it
did not take us very long to reach our first point. Here we dismounted,
just at the edge of the great dense forest, and, with as little delay as
possible in fine arrangements, struck into a path or bullock-track, made
for about three miles into the bush for the convenience of dragging out
the felled trees by ropes or chains attached to bullocks; they are not
placed upon a waggon, so you may easily imagine the state the track was
in, ploughed up by huge logs of timber dragged on the ground, and by the
bullocks' hoofs besides. It was a mere slough with deep holes of mud
in it, and we scrambled along its extreme edge, chiefly trusting to the
trees on each side, which still lay as they had been felled, the men not
considering them good enough to remove. At last we came to a clearing,
and I quite despair of making you understand how romantic and lovely
this open space in the midst of the tall trees looked that beautiful
spring morning. I involuntarily thought of the descriptions in "Paul
and Virginia," for the luxuriance of the growth was quite tropical. For
about two acres the trees had been nearly all felled, only one or two
giants remaining; their stumps were already hidden by clematis and
wild creepers of other kinds, or by a sort of fern very like the
hart's-tongue, which will only grow on the b