but a hollow in the ground at the foot of the tree showed that whatever
had been deposited had long since been removed. We, however, cleared out
the loose earth, but found nothing. The river now turned east-north-east,
and our course being east, we receded from it, and at noon we ascended a
rocky hill of sandstone covered with scrub; we therefore steered north
for an hour and came to the Mackenzie, and encamped in a fine grassy
flat, but beyond the immediate flats of the river the country was covered
with scrub. Near the camp a large flooded-gum tree had been marked: