6th July.
Started at 7.30 a.m., and in an hour came upon a pool of water in one of
the numerous channels into which the Fortescue is here divided, and at
seven miles struck the bulrush spring passed on the 11th June. From this
the river was followed down for thirteen miles, through grassy clay
plains, thinly timbered with white-gum. Encamped on a pool, in latitude
21 degrees 53 minutes 4 seconds, about five miles north of a very
remarkable bold projection of the Hamersley Range. Camp 38.
7th July (Sunday) was kept as a day of rest.
8th July.
The horses strayed so far back on our tracks during Sunday night that by
the time they were brought in it was too late to make a start with
advantage, as we were now about to enter a new tract of country, by
striking for the coast somewhere between Breaker Inlet and Depuch Island.
As a knowledge of this part of the country would greatly assist us in
starting on the second division of our exploration, I availed myself of
the delay here to fix by triangulation many of the summits and prominent
spurs of the Hamersley Range, and take observations for the variation of
the needle, which I found to be about 1 degree east by the prismatic
compass I had in use.
9th July.
Our horses again gave us some trouble to find them, so that we did not
start until 10.30 a.m. Two hours' sharp travelling across the plain
brought us to the foot of low hills of trap and sandstone, covered with
triodia; good feed being, however, plentiful in the valleys, although now
rather dry. Tracing up a small tributary to the Fortescue, at sunset we
halted on a small rocky pool near its source, in latitude 21 degrees 41
minutes 40 seconds. Several pools, supplied by springs coming from under
the superstratum of sandstone, were passed during the day. Camp 39.
Longitude 117 degrees 47 minutes.
10th July.
For seven miles the country continued gently to ascend, the sandstone
giving place to trap boulders, yielding a very rich soil, clothed with
short green grass and melons, the soil being too stony for agricultural
purposes, although I have seen country of a similar appearance in the
island of Mauritius producing fine crops of sugar. Some of the melons
weighed as much as five or six ounces, and were passably good eating,
although rather bitter. At noon the country dropped suddenly to the
northward, and we descended a deep rocky ravine, in which we soon found
water and grass. Travelling now became difficult and sometimes dangerous
to the horses; rugged and semi-columnar metamorphic sandstone cliffs
hemmed in the ravines on either side, while large rounded boulders of
trap-rock filled the bed of the stream, which in several places was
running. We had a rather indifferent camp in latitude 21 degrees 29
minutes 10 seconds, the camp at Nickol Bay bearing west-north-west,
distant seventy-five miles by account. Camp 40.