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.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 48 of 272
Words from 24450 to 24974
of 141354
