July 2. - At nine o'clock we again set forward down the stream; our
course, as it has hitherto done, lay over apparently interminable
plains, nothing relieving the eye but a few scattered bushes, and
occasionally some dwarf box-trees: the view was boundless as the ocean,
neither eminence nor hillock appearing. On the edges of the stream
alone, and the lagoons that occasionally branched from it, was any thing
like timber to be seen. The occasional openings on the stream enabled us
to perceive, that the north side was in every respect similar to the
south: I was so much deceived, by the semblance of the plains on the
other side to sheets of water, that I twice went down to the edge of the
stream to assure myself to the contrary.
A strong current of water must frequently pass over these plains, as is
evident from the traces left by the washings of shrubs, leaves, etc. The
soil was a brown hazel-coloured sandy loam, very soft and boggy; in
places it was more tenacious, water still remaining in many holes. By
the marks on the trees it would seem that the stream occasionally
overflows its banks to the depth of three or four feet; and five miles
back from it small trees were seen, that had evidently stood from twelve
to eighteen inches in the water. As usual we saw no recent signs of
natives having visited these parts; here and there the remains of
burnt muscle-shells would denote that at certain seasons the stream is
visited by them for the purpose of procuring these shell-fish:
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 81 of 354
Words from 21376 to 21655
of 95539
