From Daily
Experience, We Acquired A Sort Of Instinctive Feeling As To The Course We
Should Adopt, And Were Seldom Wrong In Our Decisions.
The ridges, near the water-holes on which we were encamped, are composed
of an igneous rock containing much
Iron, with which the water was
impregnated to such a degree, that our tea turned quite black and inky.
The natives were very numerous in these parts, and their tracks were
everywhere visible. They had even followed the tracks of Mr. Gilbert's
and Brown's horses of the preceding day.
The night was bright; the day cloudy, and the wind easterly. I went with
Charley, in the afternoon of the 17th, to examine the extent of the
scrubby country, of which Mr. Gilbert had given us so poor an account.
The channel of the river became narrow and deep, with steep banks, as it
enters the scrub, and there the flooded gums entirely disappeared. The
scrub is about eight miles long, and from two to three miles broad, and
is tolerably open. The Bricklow is here a real tree, but of stunted
growth, with regularly fissured bark, like that of the Ironbark
(Eucalyptus resinifera). It has long broad falcate phyllodia, whilst
another species of the same size has an irregular scaly bark, with small
phyllodia, but of a greyer colour than those of the common Bricklow. Both
species grow promiscuously together. Where the river left the scrub, it
entered into a wild water-worn box flat, and cut up into several
irregular channels, lined by a dense thicket of narrow-leaved Melaleucas
of stunted growth and irregular shapes. The Box-tree itself is here a
different species, the bark has deeper fissures, and the young wood is
very yellow. I shall distinguish it by the name of "Water-box," as it
grows exclusively near creeks, or on the neighbouring flats. I first
observed it at the Mackenzie; its bark strips freely, but the stem is too
short and irregular to be of any use.
In passing a low hill, at the foot of which the box-flat commenced, we
came on a very distinct path of the natives, which led us to a deep
water-hole, covered with luxuriant grass; containing but a small quantity
of water. Farther on we came to a second hole better supplied, and to a
third; and at last Charley cried out, "Look there, Sir! what big water!"
and a long broad sheet of water stretched in sweeps through a dense
Bauhinia and Bricklow scrub, which covered its steep banks. It is a
singular character of this remarkable country, that extremes so often
meet; the most miserable scrub, with the open plain and fine forest land;
and the most paralysing dryness, with the finest supply of water.
Swarms of ducks covered the margin of the lake; pelicans, beyond the
reach of shot, floated on its bosom; land-turties plunged into its
waters; and shags started from dead trees lying half immersed, as we trod
the well-beaten path of the natives along its banks.
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