30th May.
Soon after starting this morning, we came upon a camp of fifteen or
twenty natives, on the bank of a deep reach of water, hemmed in by steep
rocky hills, up which they hastily scrambled on our approach, and on
reaching the summit, tried by various gestures to express their
disapproval of our visit, but would not hold any parley with us. At five
miles the river turned abruptly to the north-east, through a precipitous
rocky defile, which induced us to make an attempt to cut across and
strike the river some miles higher up; but after being for some time
involved in impracticable ravines, we were again obliged to have recourse
to the bed of the river, although encumbered with beds of large stones,
over which the horses had great difficulty in travelling; so that by
sunset we had not accomplished more than six miles in a direct east by
south line from last night's camp. Camp 7.
Latitude 21 degrees 19 minutes 29 seconds.
31st May.
The general course of the river during the day was very little to the
south of east, its banks still maintaining the same rocky and precipitous
character, marks of inundation being frequently observed at the height of
thirty feet above the present stream, which now was only running gently
in a channel not more than thirty yards wide, but when in flood occupying
the whole of the valley, which averages a quarter of a mile in width. The
larger pools are lined with flags and reeds, and contain numbers of small
fish resembling trout, similar to those found in the Lyons and Gascoyne
Rivers. A very handsome tree, resembling an ash, grew on the margin,
bearing a beautiful white flower, four to five inches across, having on
the inside a delicate tinge of yellow, and yielding a sweet scent like
violets. Several natives were met in the course of the day, but would not
come near us; in one instance, however, we came upon one so suddenly that
he had only time to jump into a pool to escape being surrounded by the
party. After calling for some time most lustily for his friends, he
gradually crept away amongst the canes and disappeared. Only one
tributary of any size was observed to join the river in the course of the
day's march, and that came in from the southward. At 5.20 p.m. halted on
the banks of a deep pool, surrounded by fine cajeput-trees and
flooded-gum, grass being plentiful for our horses. Camp 8.