About Three Miles From Our Last Night's Halting-Place We Had To Cross A
Small Creek, The Banks Of Which Were So Steep That We Were Obliged To
Unload The Horses.
I rode up the creek about three quarters of a mile,
and came upon those extensive plains before-mentioned; the soil of this
level appears a good loamy clay, but in some places very wet:
It was far
too extensive to permit us to traverse much of it; we saw sufficient to
judge that the whole surface was similar to that we examined; it was
covered with a great variety of new plants, and its margin encircled by
a new species of acacia, which received the specific name of PENDULA,
from its resembling in habit the weeping willow. Low hills to the north
bounded this plain, whilst a slip of barren land, covered with small
trees and shrubs, lay between it and the river.
It appeared to me that the whole of these flats are occasionally
overflowed by the river, the water of which is forced up the creek
before-mentioned, and which again acts as a drain on the fall of the
water.
At four o'clock we halted for the evening, after a fatiguing day's
journey; the boats were obliged to cut their passage three or four
times, and the whole navigation was difficult and dangerous: the current
ran with much rapidity, and the channel seemed rather to contract than
widen. We were obliged to stop on a very barren desolate spot, with
little grass for the horses; but further on the country appeared even
worse.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 23 of 354
Words from 5884 to 6151
of 95539
