They Had A
Domestic Dog, Which Seemed Very Ferocious.
A little farther on, we came
to a small creek, with good water-holes, and our guides wished us
To
stop; but, when I told them that we were desirous of reaching Balanda as
soon as possible, and added to my promise of giving them a blanket and a
tomahawk, that of a pint pot, Gnarrangan and Cabaret again volunteered,
and pursuaded a third, of the name of Malarang, to join them. For some
miles, we followed a beaten foot-path, which skirted the large plain, and
then entered the forest, which was composed of rusty-gum, leguminous
Ironbark, Cochlospermum gossypium, and a small apocynaceous tree
(Balfouria, Br.); we crossed several salt-water creeks which went down to
Van Diemen's Gulf. The country near these creeks, was more undulating,
the soil sandy and mixed with small ironstone pebbles; fine tea-tree
flats with excellent grass, on which the buffaloes fed, were frequent.
Along the plain, small clusters of brush protruded into it from the
forest, or covered low mounts of sea shells, mixed with a black soil.
Amongst these copses, the tracks of buffaloes were very numerous.
We travelled about ten miles north-west by north, and encamped at a small
pool of water in a creek, in which the clayey ironstone cropped out. Its
water was so impregnated with the astringent properties of the gum-trees,
that Mr. Phillips boiled and drank it like tea. Before arriving at this
creek, we had a thunder-storm, with heavy rain, from the northward.
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