llow water.
The mouth of the river, furthermore, is swept by southerly winds, which
bring in great waves that have their origin in the neighborhood of the
South Pole. Consequently it was concluded that the location of the city
at the place with the largest entrance into the sea would not be
advantageous, and a location on Spencer's Gulf was considered
preferable."
"Very good reasons," said Ned, "and I have no doubt that the founders of
Adelaide acted wisely. They certainly have a very prosperous city where
they are, although their seaport is several miles away."
The train increased its speed as it descended the incline, and the
youths found plenty of occupation and amusement in studying the scenery
on each side of them, and noting the handsome residences of the
merchants and other well-to-do inhabitants of Adelaide. The river was
crossed by means of an iron bridge, a substantial structure which was
evidently built to last. After crossing the Murray, the railway
proceeded for awhile along its valley, and gradually left it to enter a
region of long-continued monotony.
"For hours in succession," said Harry in his journal, "we had little
else but scrub. I imagine that when the surveyors laid out the railway
line, they took their bearings by observation of the moon and stars, and
laid it directly across from one side of the scrub country to the other.
Scrub land is land covered with bushes. There are not many varieties of
bushes, and this fact helps along the monotony. There is one bush that
looks like an umbrella turned bottom upwards, and another that resembles
an umbrella standing upright, as one holds it to keep off the rain. Then
there are bushes and trees, some of them shaped like bottles, others
like sugar loaves, and some like nothing else that I can think of at
this moment. They vary from three or four feet in height up to fifteen
and twenty feet, and sometimes we found them of a height of thirty feet
or more.
"Mile after mile it is the same. I have heard what a terrible thing it
is to be lost in the scrub. I can well understand that it is terrible,
and can also understand how easily such a calamity could be brought
about. One mile of scrub is exactly like another mile, or so very nearly
like it that it is next to impossible to tell the difference. I have
heard that people who stepped only a few yards from the side of the road
have wandered for days before finding their way again, or have been
sought for by
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