The Creek Changed Its Character Every Quarter Of A Mile, Forming Now A Broad Sandy Or Pebbly Bed, Then A Narrow Channel Between Steep Banks; And Again Several Channels, Either With Fine Water-Holes, Or Almost Entirely Filled Up And Over-Grown With A Scanty Vegetation.

On the banks, thickets alternated with scrubs and open country, and, lower down, the country became very fine and open.

Early in the morning of the 30th, we started again, and arrived at the camp after a long ride, both hungry and tired.

CHAPTER XIII

CAPE MARIA - OBLIGED TO LEAVE A PORTION OF OUR COLLECTION OF NATURAL HISTORY - LIMMEN BIGHT RIVER - HABITS OF WATER BIRDS - NATIVE FISH TRAP - THE FOUR ARCHERS - THE WICKHAM - THE DOG DIES - IMMENSE NUMBER OF DUCKS AND GEESE - THE ROPER - THREE HORSES DROWNED - OBLIGED TO LEAVE A PORTION OF MY BOTANICAL COLLECTION - MORE INTERCOURSE WITH FRIENLDY NATIVES, CIRCUMCISED - HODGSON'S CREEK - THE WILTON - ANOTHER HORSE DROWNED - ANXIETY ABOUT OUR CATTLE - AN ATTACK ON THE CAMP FRUSTRATED - BOILS - BASALT AGAIN - INJURIOUS EFFECTS OF THE SEEDS OF AN ACACIA.

Oct. 1. - The camp was moved forward to the river we had found on the 29th, about thirteen miles north by west from our camp at Sterculia Creek. About a mile from the river, we passed a large swampy lagoon, round which the natives had burned the grass. Several flocks of whistling ducks (Leptotarsis Eytoni, GOULD) and many black Ibises were here. We heard the call of the "Glucking bird" every night during the last fortnight, particularly from about 2 to 5 o'clock a.m. I called this river the "Red Kangaroo River;" for, in approaching it, we first saw the Red Forester of Port Essington (Osphanter antilopinus, GOULD). The longitude, according to my reckoning, was 136 degrees.

Oct. 2. - We travelled about eleven miles north by west, to lat. 15 degrees 25 minutes 18 seconds, over an undulating country, if possible even worse than that of the last two stages. Low sandy rises were covered with stringy-bark trees and saplings, and the depressions were either thickly beset with different species of Acacia, of Pultanaea, of the broad-stemmed Bossiaea, or formed shallow basins of red ironstone covered and surrounded with tea-tree scrub. On the higher elevations, the Cypress-pine thickets proved even worse than the scrub. We crossed only one sandy little creek, and came, at the end of the stage, to the head of a small Pandanus creek, which improved rapidly, and, a little way down, contained fine Nymphaea ponds. Charley went still farther down, and, in an old camp of the natives, found Cythereas and the head of a crocodile.

It was during this stage, and among the scrub and underwood of the sandy hills, that we first met with Grevillea pungens (R. Br.), a shrub from two to five feet high, with pale-green pinnatifid pungent leaves, and racemes of red flowers. Flagellaria indica, L. was very abundant near the creek; and our bullocks fed heartily upon it: particularly in this most wretched country, where the grass was scanty and hard.

Although the days were exceedingly hot, the air immediately before and after sunrise was most agreeable.

Oct. 3. - We travelled about six miles and a half north by west, over a country equally scrubby as that of the preceding stage. The saplings had been killed by a bush fire, and a hurricane, which must have swept over the country some years ago, had broken and uprooted the larger trees, which lay all to the west and north-west. Since then, saplings had sprung up, and, with the remains of the old trees, formed a most impervious scrubby thicket, through which we could move but very slowly. About a mile from our camp, we crossed a salt-water creek nine or ten yards broad. There was some vine brush, with plenty of Flagellarias, growing along its banks. A little farther, we crossed a freshwater creek, which was larger than the preceding. Both appeared to come from some conspicuous ranges, about six or eight miles to the westward. About five miles farther, we encamped on a sandy creek with fine pools of water.

Oct. 4. - We were obliged to remain here, as the horses, not finding sufficient food in the neighbourhood of the camp, had strayed so far through the scrub, that they were not found before 2 o'clock in the afternoon, when it was too late to proceed.

Oct. 5. - We continued our course north by west, through a similar wretched country, and, at the end of about six miles, came to some hills, on the north side of a broad sandy creek, from which we distinguished the white sands of the sea coast, and the white crest of breakers rolling towards the land. In the bed of the creek as well as on its banks, the back bones of cuttle-fish were numerous. Charley and John went down to the beach, and brought back several living salt-water shells. I proceeded up the creek in a south-west direction, and came, at about three miles, to some pools of good water, with a tolerable supply of young feed. The range we had seen yesterday, was still about eight or ten miles distant, tending from S.S.E. to N.N.W.; it was steep and naked, and was composed of a white rock which proved to be a baked sandstone, nearly resembling quartzite in its homogeneous texture.

Oct. 6. - One of our bullocks had become so weak that he was unable to carry his load; it was, therefore, put on one of our spare horses, which were still in excellent condition. I steered for one of the detached mountains at the northern end of the range, and travelled about twelve miles north-west, before we came to its foot. We had, however, to leave our bullock on the way, as the difficult nature of the country and diarrhoea together had completely exhausted him. Scrub and dense underwood continued over a rather undulating country to the foot of the range, which was itself covered with open forest.

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