- Though we had hobbled our horses with straps and stirrup
leathers, they had strayed, during the night, to the more open country,
where they separated from each other in search of food; and it was not
until after three hours search that Charley found the greater part of
them.
We had, however, watched the bullocks during the night, and were
therefore enabled to proceed; which we did as far as the fine sheet of
water before mentioned, when Charley again went in search of the missing
horses, with which he returned after some time.
The showers continued until about 10 o'clock last night; at 3 A. M. the
sky became clear, and continued so through the morning, except an
occasional cloud from the eastward.
Mr. Calvert found a Bauhinia in blossom; which was not only different
from the Bauhinia found afterwards at Comet River, but also from that of
the Mitchell. Mr. Gilbert found a new species of sleeping lizard, with
four lighter stripes on the dark brown ground along the back, and with
dark spots on the sides. Mr. Roper shot some ducks, and I found a species
of Ancylus; besides the species of Limnaea and Paludina, which we had
previously met with.
Dec. 28. - We travelled over the Box-tree flat, until we reached the open
basaltic ridges mentioned on the 23rd December, and kept along their
base. The creek, which had disappeared on the flat, here again formed a
large deep channel, lined with Melaleucas. Hollows existed along the
hills, and water-holes ran in lines parallel to the creek; all now quite
dry; a scrubby forest land alternated with open flats and Bricklow
thickets. Water was very scarce; and having encamped my party, I started
immediately to reconnoitre the country. I followed the creek to the
northward, and found it lined by scrub; but the belt along its west side
was narrow, and beyond it, a fine open undulating country was observed
extending far to the south-west and west, in which direction the loom of
distant ranges was seen. These plains, which had some patches of open
forest land, were, at the request of my companion, Mr. Calvert, named
"Albinia Downs." To the north-west, the mountain with the hummock lay
close before us, throwing out subordinate spurs to the westward. In
riding to the most northerly end of it, I fell in with a small
water-course, which led me to a large creek coming from the south-west
and west-south-west, with fine Casuarinas fringing its banks and forming
a dark tortuous line amongst the light green foliage of the trees on the
neighbouring flats. About six miles lower down, it was joined by the
scrub creek on which we were encamped.
The sandy bed of the creek was entirely dry, and we must have encamped
without water after a long and fatiguing ride, had not a heavy
thunder-shower supplied us; we caught the rain in our pannikins as it
dropt from our extended blankets.
The thunder-storm had passed, and the sun had set, when Brown, my
blackfellow, suddenly threw back the blanket under which we sat, and
pointed out to me a fine comet in a small clear spot of the western sky.
I afterwards learned that this comet had been observed as early as the
1st December; but our constant travelling in level forest land had
prevented us from seeing it before. The creek received the appropriate
name of "Comet Creek."
Dec. 29. - Following the creek down, we found water in chains of ponds,
and watercourses coming from a belt of scrub occupying the ground between
the creek and the mountains. Fine, though narrow, but well-grassed flats
extended along Comet Creek. We observed growing on the creek, the dwarf
Koorajong (Grewia), a small rough-leaved fig tree, a species of Tribulus,
and the native Portulaca. The latter afforded us an excellent salad; but
was much more acid than I had found it in other parts of the country,
where I had occasionally tasted it. The native melon of the Darling Downs
and of the Gwyder, grew here also. Of animals, we saw several kangaroos,
emus, native companions, and wallabies.
During our return to the camp, a hot wind blew from the south-west across
Albinia Downs: the great extent of which sufficiently accounted for the
high temperature. The only thermometer I had was unfortunately broken
shortly after we started; this loss was severely felt by me throughout
the journey, as we had no means of ascertaining the exact temperature. I
made the latitude of our camp at Scrub Creek to be 24 degrees 25 minutes
42 seconds.
Dec. 30. - We travelled about seven miles to the north-east, crossed Comet
Creek, and encamped at some water-holes, in a small creek coming out of
the scrub below the range.
Our sportsmen gave chase to ten emus and a kangaroo on Albinia Downs: but
the rottenness of the ground prevented their capture: rather tantalizing
to hungry stomachs! I examined the basaltic rock on several spots, and
found that it contained numerous crystals of Peridot. The sand in the bed
of the river contains very minute particles of igneous rock. The slopes
of the range of Comet Creek are composed of rich black soil, in some
places without trees, in others openly timbered. Stones of a light
coloured rock, with crystals of augite, pebbles of sandstone, of
conglomerate, and of quartz, are scattered over the ground, or imbedded
in the loamy beds of the water-courses. The belt of scrub at the foot of
the slopes runs out in narrow strips towards the river, and these are
separated by box-tree thickets, and open box-tree flats. A pea-plant,
with ternate leaves, and fine yellow blossoms, was found near our camp:
Portulaca was very abundant. The bronze-winged pigeon lived here on the
red fruit of Rhagodia, and the black berries of a species of Jasmine; and
seems also to pick occasionally the seed vessel of a Ruellia, which is
very frequent on all the flats of Comet Creek.
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