It Was Principally Composed Of Several Species Of Acacia Of
Grevillea Chrysodendron (R. Br.), And Of The Bossiaea With Broad Stem.
All Along The Outside Of The Scrub, We Observed Old Camps Of The Natives;
Several Of Whom Were Seen Crossing The Plains.
The bed of the river became excessively wild:
The Pandanus channel was
still full of water, and running; but the dry bed was full of rocky
water-holes or chains of them, composed of, and scattered over with
blocks of sandstone; and overgrown with most magnificent Casuarinas, with
tea-trees and flooded-gum (or its representative).
Large camps of the natives were full of the shells of lately roasted
mussels (Unios), the posterior part of which appeared to be much broader,
and more sinuated, than those we had hitherto seen. John and Charley
found the head of an alligator; and the former caught the broad-scaled
fish of the Mackenzie (Osteoglossum), which weighed four pounds. The
mosquitoes, and a little black ant, were very annoying during the warm
but slightly dewy night.
As we were slowly winding our way among the loose rocks, Brown's horse
got knocked up, and we were compelled to encamp. After the disasters
which had lately befallen us, I became more alive to the chances to which
we were exposed, even more so than after Mr. Gilbert's death; up to which
time we had travelled more than a thousand miles, without any great
misfortune. At the commencement of our journey, the cooee of my
companions, who were driving the bullocks and horses after me, had
generally called me back to assist in re-loading one of our restive
beasts, or to mend a broken packsaddle, and to look for the scattered
straps.
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