All at once, the water disappeared; the deepest holes were dry;
the Melaleucas were not to be found; the flooded-gums became very rare,
and the rich green grass was replaced by a scanty wiry grass. The whole
river seemed to divide into chains of dry water-holes, scarcely connected
by hollows. Two miles farther we came to a fine large water-hole,
surrounded by Polygonums and young water-grass, and, at two miles
farther, to another, and in about the same distance to a third. Recent
camps of the natives were on each of them, and a beaten path led from one
to the other. One of these holes was crossed by a weir made of sticks for
catching fish. Bones of large fish, turtle shells, and heaps of muscles,
were strewed round the fire places.
The whole day was bright and very hot; the wind in the afternoon from
E.S.E. The latitude of our last camp was 21 degrees 31 minutes 16
seconds, being about eighteen miles W.N.W. from the lake.
Mr. Roper and Brown rode about seven miles down the river, and found that
it again formed a large regular bed well supplied with water; and that
the country was of a more open character. They came suddenly upon two
women cooking mussels, who ran off, leaving their dinners to their
unwelcome visitors, who quickly dispatched the agreeable repast; farther
on they saw four men, who were too shy to approach. Charley also, whilst
bringing in the horses on the morning of the 22nd, passed a numerous
camp, who quietly rose and gazed at him, but did not utter a single word.
I travelled with my party to the water-holes found by Mr. Roper; on
approaching them, we crossed an extensive box-flat, near that part of the
river where it is split into collateral chains of holes. Talc-schiste
cropped out at the latter part of the journey; its strata were
perpendicular, and their direction from north-west to south-east; its
character was the same as that of Moreton Bay and New England; numerous
veins of quartz intersected the rock.
The water-holes were surrounded by high Polygonums; blue Nymphaeas were
observed in several of them; and ducks were very numerous.
The forenoon was cloudless and hot; cirrhous clouds formed in the
afternoon; with a breeze from the E.S.E. Our lat. was 21 degrees 25
minutes.
Mr. Gilbert and Charley, when on a reconnoitring ride, met another party
of natives; among them two gins were so horror-struck at the unwonted
sight, that they immediately fled into the scrub; the men commenced
talking to them, but occasionally interrupted their speeches by spitting
and uttering a noise like pooh!
