9th August.
Starting at 6.40 a.m., traversed an undulating sandstone country on a
south-east course till 1.15 p.m., when we came on a large dry sandy
creek, which we followed to the north-north-east till 1.50, when we found
a shallow pool, at which we encamped. This creek had a sandy channel ten
yards wide, with low banks, subject to flood to the breadth of fifty to
eighty yards. Pandanus, melaleuca, and flooded-gum grow on its banks. The
country generally is poor and stony, with paper-bark, gum, bloodwood, and
narrow-leafed melaleuca. Shortly after reaching the creek the horse
Monkey knocked up, though only carrying a pack-saddle since the 30th
July; I therefore left the saddle, having removed all such portion of the
fittings which might hereafter be useful. A few yards from our camp we
found some spears and water vessels, which had been hidden under some
sheets of bark by the blacks, who evidently were out hunting, as we heard
them calling to each other in the afternoon, though they were not seen.
These water vessels were formed by hollowing out a block of wood in the
shape of a canoe, and had a capacity of three gallons, and it was evident
that they possess tools of iron as also of stone.
Latitude by a Trianguli Australis 16 degrees 42 minutes 50 seconds;
longitude by lunar distances 136 degrees 28 minutes.
10th August.
As there was a sufficient supply of grass and water, remained at the camp
to rest the party. The morning was cloudy, but cleared up about 9 a.m.,
and I observed a set of lunar distances. Dean brought in some jasper from
a hill one mile north-west of the camp. He also reported that the creek
appeared to trend to the north for eight or ten miles.
11th August.
We continued a south-east route at 7.40 a.m., ascending hills of
limestone and sandstone, with an upper bed of basalt, which on the higher
land to the south-west was again covered by sandstone. The trap or basalt
was much decomposed, and contained fragments of lower rocks. At 1.40 p.m.
camped on a fine but small creek, with permanent pools of water in a
rocky channel from five to thirty yards wide. The country was well
grassed and openly wooded with box, sterculia, leguminous ironbark, and
terminalia.
Latitude by a Trianguli Australis 16 degrees 51 minutes 55 seconds.
12th August.
At 6.50 a.m. resumed a south-east course, traversing a broken country
with limestone, chert, sandstone, and trap hills, deeply cut by dry
watercourses. The grass was abundant and good, though triodia appeared on
the higher ridges; at 7.0 crossed a small river, with fine permanent
pools of water in a rocky bed ten to thirty yards wide. The floods rise
twenty feet, and extend over a breadth of 70 to 100 yards. It is the
largest stream-bed crossed since leaving the river, and may possibly
drain the country to a distance of sixty miles to the southward. At 1.25
camped on a small creek trending to the north-north-east, in which were
pools twenty yards long and five feet deep.
Latitude by a Trianguli Australis 17 degrees 1 minute 31 seconds.