e familiarly called the blues. However,
that's not at all times, and indeed mostly I love it very much, its
great quietness and its beauty; and then it's so companionable, though
perhaps you're a bit young to understand that. Anyhow, I have my mates,
not only old Turpentine, my snake, but others--wallabies that have come
to recognise me as harmless, for I never hunt anywhere near home, the
laughing jackasses, two of them, that come and guffaw to me every
morning, the pheasants that I watch capering and strutting on the logs
hidden in the scrub. Even the plants become friends; there are creepers
near my camp that I've watched from babyhood, and more than one big tree
with which I've at least a nodding acquaintance!"

He broke off suddenly.

"Look, there's a friend of mine!" he said gently. They were crossing a
little gully, and a few yards on their right a big wallaby sat staring
at them, gravely inquisitive. It certainly would not have been human
nature if Jim had not longed for a gun; but the wallaby was evidently
quite ignorant of such a thing, and took them all in with his cool
stare. At length Wally sneezed violently, whereat the wallaby started,
regarded the disturber of his peace with an alarmed air, and finally
bounded off into the scrub.

"There you go!" said the Hermit good-humouredly, "scaring my poor
beastie out of his wits."

"Couldn't help it," mumbled Wally.

"No, a sneeze will out, like truth, won't it?" the Hermit laughed.
"That's how Miss Norah announced herself to me to-day. I might never
have known she was there if she hadn't obligingly sneezed! I hope.
you're not getting colds, children!" the Hermit added, with mock
concern.

"Not much!" said Wally and Norah in a breath.

"Just after I came here," said the Hermit, "I was pretty short of
tucker, and it wasn't a good time for fishing, so I was dependent on my
gun for most of my provisions. So one day, feeling much annoyed after a
breakfast of damper and jam, I took the gun and went off to stock up the
larder.

"I went a good way without any luck. There didn't seem anything to shoot
in all the bush, though you may be sure I kept my eyes about me. I was
beginning to grow disheartened. At length I made my way down to the
creek. Just as I got near it, I heard a whirr-r-r over my head, and
looking up, I saw a flock of wild duck. They seemed to pause a moment,
and then dropped downwards. I couldn't see where they alighted, but of
course I knew it