19th July.
The horses having scattered much during the night, it was 8 a.m. before
they were collected and saddled; we then followed our track of yesterday
to the pool in the creek, eight miles south-east, reaching it at 11.45.
The sandstones here showed a decided dip to the west, at angles varying
from 5 degrees to 30 degrees, and the trap-rocks only extended five miles
from the previous camp. In the afternoon five natives were observed
watching the camp, and finding they were observed by us came up to the
party, but could not be induced to speak a single word; they soon after
retired. They had no spears, and were followed by a small dog. Their
teeth were entire, but they were all circumcised. At 8.0 p.m. the blacks
were detected stealing into the camp, and, though we called upon them to
retire, only hid themselves in the grass; but as it was absolutely
necessary for our own safety to dislodge them from their position, I
caused a gun to be fired in the air, hoping that they would retire, but
they commenced to ship their spears, and I therefore ordered a charge of
shot to be fired at them, which had the desired effect of compelling them
to retreat. What their object was in thus approaching the camp at night,
unless for hostile purposes, we had no means of ascertaining; but the
aboriginal Australian considers it an act of positive hostility to
approach a camp in silence at night.
Latitude by a Coronae Borealis 14 degrees 59 minutes 6 seconds.
20th July.
Starting at 7.30 a.m., steered south-east over an undulating sandstone
country, well grassed, but very stony and thinly wooded; a low range of
rocky hills, nearly parallel to our route, lay to the south-west, and at
11.20 a.m. we camped at a fine running stream in a rocky ravine in this
range; the grass was, however, very dry and inferior near the range.
Latitude by a Coronae Borealis 15 degrees 4 minutes 31 seconds.
21st July.
The horses had shown an unusual desire to stray during the night, and as
we had reason to apprehend a visit from the blacks, they were kept close
to the camp; at 6.20 a.m. steered south-east, crossing a tableland about
250 feet above the camp, and at 8.0 a.m. descended by a rocky gully, in
which was a fine spring, into a grassy valley, which varied from a few
yards to a mile in breadth, bounded by sandstone hills, the strata of
which were not well defined, but appeared to have a considerable dip to
the west-south-west; in the upper part of the valley the creek was well
supplied with water, but as we advanced into the lower ground the channel
was dry, though increased to twenty yards wide and ten to fifteen feet
deep; at 11.15 a.m. one of the horses, Prince, was observed to be unwell,
and at 1.20 p.m. a second horse, Bob, was noticed to be suffering from
illness, having bled them, we proceeded down the creek in search of water
at which the party could halt, and found a small waterhole at 2.20 p.m.,
but the two sick horses dropped dead about 150 yards before reaching it;
their loads had been previously removed to the saddle-horses; as soon as
the camp had been formed Mr. Elsey and Dr. Mueller examined the dead
horses to ascertain the cause of death, and it appeared from the state of
extreme inflammation of the stomachs that they had eaten some poisonous
plant; but the food was too much comminuted to admit of the plants eaten
being recognised.
Latitude by a Coronae Borealis 15 degrees 12 minutes 46 seconds.
22nd July.
At 7.10 a.m. resumed our journey down the valley of the creek to the east
and east-north-east, passing a fine lagoon with nelumbium and a number of
pelicans; at 8.30 a.m. crossed two large creeks and passed a second
lagoon, 70 yards by 300 yards. The principal creek now turned to the
north, and our course was along the foot of a sandstone range 200 feet
high, till 12.40 p.m., when, altering the course to south-east, we
ascended the range and crossed the level sandy tableland covered with
scrub; descending to the south, found a small dry watercourse in an open
valley, and followed it in search of water to the north-west till 4.0
p.m., when we found a small pool of rainwater, at which we camped.
Latitude by a Trianguli Australis 15 degrees 13 minutes 6 seconds.
23rd July.
The horses had strayed so far in search of green grass that we did not
start till 10.30 a.m., when we steered south-east, crossing a spur of the
tableland which lay to the south-west; then crossing several valleys and
small watercourses trending to the north-east, camped at a shallow
waterhole at 3.20 p.m. The country was of sandstone formation and the
soil very poor, melaleuca scrubs prevailing on the lower ground, and
eucalypti, acacia, and grevillia on the hills; to the south-west the
hills were rocky, with a rounded outline, but to the north-east they were
flat-topped and of less height. The sandstones are often at a
considerable angle, but in no general direction, a thin bed of
ferruginous conglomerate rests on hard gray sandstone, imperfectly
stratified, beneath which shales of various colours exist; on the exposed
surface of the shales observed an efflorescence of sulphate of magnesia.
Latitude by a Coronae Borealis and a Trianguli Australis 15 degrees 18
minutes 48 seconds.