In
Order To Ease My Horse, I Tried To Walk; But, After A Few Paces.
I found
it impossible; I was too much exhausted.
At this distressing moment,
however, we crossed the tracks of horses and bullocks, and then we knew
we were near the camp, the sight of which, a short time afterwards, was
most welcome to us.
Jan. 29. - Finding that one of the water-holes of the camp had dried up,
and that the other was very muddy, we returned to larger water-holes two
miles to the south-east. After having done this, I sent Mr. Gilbert and
Charley down the creek, to ascertain its course, and to see whether it
would be practicable to skirt the highland of peak range to the westward.
Last night thunder-storms were gathering to the south-west, but they did
not come up to us. The night breeze is very strong and regular, and sets
in invariably between a quarter and half-past eight o'clock; last night
it was quite a gale, which I considered to be the indication of a change
in the weather, and of rain.
John Murphy brought the flower of a yellow Hibiscus from Roper's Peak: it
is certainly a new species.
Jan. 30. - Last night clouds gathered into a thunder-storm to the
south-west, but it passed by with very little rain: heavy clouds hung
round us, in every direction, but it seemed as if even their passage over
the parched plains exhausted their moisture. In the east and south-east a
heavy thunder cloud, with incessant lightning, was seen, but so distant
that we could not hear the thunder. In the morning, loose clouds spread
over the whole sky: this was the first cloudy day we had experienced for
the last three weeks. Nature looks quite refreshed; the grass is so
green, and the modest blue Ruellia so plentiful; whole fields of Crinum
are in full blossom; and the Ironbark and flooded-gum with a denser and
richer foliage than usual, afford us a most agreeable shade. I wish I
could sufficiently describe the loveliness of the morning just before and
after sunrise: the air so clear, so transparent; the sky slightly tinged
with roseate hues, all nature so fresh, so calm, so cool. If water were
plentiful, the downs of Peak Range would be inferior to no country in the
world. Mr. Calvert collected a great number of Limnaea in the
water-holes: its shell is more compact than those we have before seen,
and has a slight yellow line, marking probably the opening at a younger
age. Several insects of the genera Mantis and Truxalis were taken, but
did not appear different from those we had previously collected.
Jan. 31. - We had a thunder-storm from the west, and thunder clouds in all
quarters; but, as usual, very little rain. Mr. Gilbert returned from his
exploratory ride, and stated that the plains extended far to the
westward, and that they rose in that direction, forming a succession of
terraces; and that another fine range of peaks, even more imposing than
those of our Peak Range, reared their heads to the westward of the
plains, converging towards the latter [Note at end of para.]; that all the
creeks went down to the south and south-west; but that he found no water,
except one fine lagoon about fifteen miles to the south-west, which was
covered with ducks.
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