Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1858-09-10
MI : c T. LLAN Y.
THE WATERS ARE OUT

Gundicll Is small settlement in tho in.
terror Of New South wales. |, il situated
on the hank. of the Murrumhiigee, one OF
the principal feeders Of the Great Murray
River aud the high road from Sydney to
Mc'h,um, pase- through it. The sur
rounding country consists, for the most
part, ol valleys, 50 broad that they may nj.
most be- d-sisuaici plains, dotted with occa-
si,nal mound, oi small elevation.
When first settled there my residence
was a little yerandl cottage, built OF wood.
At the rear was large garden devoted TO
kitchen products, and in 'front.' ,hcrc was a
wildcrac.s. which We hkal u call Glwer
garden. Flowers there were, truly bu, 50
utterly neglected. that they looked more
like oyyrsrown woods. There were thick
ct. Of gcauium, tangled masses Of riuks
and carnations, aud helsas Of struggling
roscbushJs.
The cottage ,t.slf consisted o. four rooms
all on the ground loor and Il, seemed - lit
dc singular that il should have been built
on ril,,, raised three feet above the level
Of the gardens; but subsequent experience
showed IN, the necessity ofihis arrangement.
Altogether the place wore such tho
roughly wrc,chcd aspect, that almos,
feared to bring my wife ur from sydney
tpIt. When shc came, however, | wa,
agrc,ably Disappointed Esther was an ar
den, d,riculturi,t, aud the task Of reducing
the flower byd. 10 order was 10 her Dc.
ishtrulrro-p"cIiye amusement. Under her
skilliul supervisor the dover borders wero
trimmed, the ovcr-grown plants thlnned
out, and the rose. trees carefully pruncd and
trained. Many new yari,ics were also in
troluccl, and soon a manifest improvement
wa, p,rccp,iblc. Roses and honcy.sucklc.,
dolichus and native ivy, in sweet proiu'ion
shaded the ycranda; aud young minos'
trees formed an imponc,rlblc screen around
the borders Of our little homestead. The
luxuriant Australian climate facilitated
these results have known rose trees to
send out shoots exceeding fltccn feet in
length in single season, and the irdigen-
lou. acacis will grow the seed to the height
Of eight or ten feet in the same period.
Ono mornIng--I remember the dato we'll
It was the last day oi March, lclt my
plcasan, home to visit a settler on the Tar.
cutta Creek, about thirty miles distant.
had several calls to make ON tho road, 50
that it was past midday before arrived at
my destination. Businoss over, was not
avcrsc TO accept the proGsrcl hospitality Of
my host; and tho moro readily. because
both myself aud my horse were sorely in
need Of rcfrcshmcnt. Agreeable conyersa'
tion caused the time to pass unheclcd and
when at length rose to depart, the dccli-
ming sun indicated the near approach Of
darkness.
Tho morning had been somewhat warm
yet not unpleasantly 80, for-as often hap
pens towards the end Of the Australian sum
mer-a soft westerly breeze miticatcd the
fvrcenoss Of the uneloudsd sup. But the
evening was the reverse Of all this. The
wind had quite died away, aud the atmos.
phcrc was close and stialng, so that 1t seem
ed difficult to breathe ; and without exer-
ton, the preparation oozsd from every
pore. All nature was omInously still.
Not blade Of grass stirred, not leaf Wa.
we'd on the trees yet ever and anon low
sullen sound-whieh could only bo likencd
to tho hoarse roar Of distant breakers sur
gins around rocky shore issued from
the neighbOring forests. In the west the