The Two
Explorers Had Unfortunately Forgotten Their Bag Of Provisions, And Were
Consequently Compelled To Return Before They Could Accomplish Their
Object.
As I anticipated a very long stage, and perhaps a camp without
water, I had some wallabi skins softened and tied over our quart pots
filled with water, which enabled us to carry about eight quarts with us.
August 25. - We accordingly started early, and travelled for several miles
through a pretty open broad-leaved tea-tree forest, formed by small trees
from twenty to thirty feet high. This changed, however, into dense scrub,
which we could only avoid by keeping more to the westward, in which
direction the tea-tree forest seemed to extend to a great distance. Here
we passed several tea-tree swamps, dry at this time, level, like a table,
and covered with small trees, and surrounded by a belt of fine box-trees
and drooping water-gum trees. In order to come to a watercourse, I again
crossed the thick scrub which covered the undulations of iron-stone to
the northward, and came to a fine rocky creek, which Brown recognised as
one of those he had seen, but which contained only salt water lower down.
We consequently continued our journey to the north-west, through tea-tree
forest, and over some very large tea-tree swamps, and came at last to a
creek and to a small river, along which we travelled until darkness
compelled us to encamp. It had fine water-holes, and was densely shaded
with drooping tea-trees; but the holes were dry, with some few exceptions
of small wells of the natives.
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