- The dew was heavy through the night; and, in the morning, loose
rainy clouds gathered from the east and north-east, which, however,
disappeared about eleven o'clock.
Charley went back to the camp, to bring
it on, and I continued to reconnoitre to the north-west. After passing a
sandstone ridge, I came to a creek, which went to the north-west, and
which was supplied with water by the late thunder-showers. It was bounded
on both sides by sandstone ridges, whose summits were covered with scrub
and Acacia thickets; and by grassy slopes and flats bearing narrow-leaved
Ironbark and Bastard-box. This would be a most beautiful country, if it
contained a constant supply of water.
I observed on the ridges an Acacia, a small tree, from thirty to forty
feet high, and from six to nine inches in diameter, and easily
distinguished by its peculiar rough frizzled bark, similar to that of the
Casuarina found at the ranges of the Robinson. It has a dark
sweet-scented heartwood, like that of the Bricklow and the Myal and other
Acacias, which I had previously met with. The creek turned to the north
and north-east, into a plain, and joined a larger creek which came in
from the right at about south-west. Near their junction, a very
conspicuous peak was observed, with several small water-holes with water
at its foot. I then returned to the spot to which Charley had been
ordered to conduct the camp; but, as the party had not arrived, I feared
that some accident might have happened, and therefore rode towards the
water-holes from which Brown had gone back to the camp. I found the
detention caused by the absence of the horses, which had strayed to the
other side of the range.
Feb. 6. - Charley rode my horse after the missing ones, and returned with
them about one o'clock to the camp; and then we proceeded about six miles
due north, in the direction of a fine mountain of imposing character -
which I called "Phillips's Mountain," after one of my companions - and
encamped in sight of Calvert's and Scott's Peaks, the former of which
bore S. 22 degrees W., and the latter S. 7 degrees E. Our latitude was 22
degrees 43 minutes.
Acacia farnesiana grew in low shrubs along the plains, stretching its
flexible branches over the ground; Mimosa terminalis (the sensitive
plant) was very plentiful, and more erect than usual; a species of
Verbena, with grey pubescent leaf and stem, was also abundant. The night
breeze had been exceedingly strong during the last four days. At the camp
of the 4th of February my companions shot twenty-one pigeons (Geophaps
scripta), and five cockatoos; a welcome addition to our scanty meals. For
a considerable time previous, I had reduced our allowance of flour to
three pounds; but now, considering that we were still so far to the
eastward, it was, by general consent of my companions, again reduced to a
pound and a-half per diem for the six, of which a damper mixed up with
fat was made every day, as soon as we reached our encampment.
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