As We Entered Into The Plains, Binoe's Trichinium And
Salicornia Re-Appeared.
I steered towards the smoke of a Blackfellow's fire, which we saw rising
on the plains; the fire was attended to by a gin.
Charley went forward to
examine a belt of trees visible in the distance; and John Murphy followed
a hollow in the plain, and succeeded in finding a fine lagoon, about half
a mile long, partly rocky and partly muddy, surrounded by Polygonums, and
fields of Salicornia. A few gum trees, and raspberry-jam trees grew
straggling around it; but no dry timber was to be found, and we had to
make a fire with a broken down half dried raspberry-jam tree. Our meat
bags were now empty, and it was necessary to kill another bullock,
although the spot was by no means favourable for the purpose. Natives
were around us, and we saw them climbing the neighbouring trees to
observe our proceedings. When Charley joined us, he stated that a fine
broad salt-water river was scarcely a quarter of a mile from the lagoon;
that he had seen a tribe of natives fishing, who had been polite enough
to make a sign that the water was not drinkable, when he stooped down to
taste it, but that freshwater was to be found in the direction of the
lagoon, at which we were encamped. No time was to be lost, and, as the
afternoon had advanced, we commenced operations immediately. Though the
bullock was young, and in excellent working condition, the incessant
travelling round the gulf had taken nearly all the fat out of him, and
there was scarcely enough left to fry his liver.
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