-hour upon its banks, to rest our animals, we again
pushed forward. We had not as yet risen any perceptible height above
the level of the marshes, but had left the country subject to overflow
for a considerable space behind us. The brushes through which we had
passed were too sandy to retain water long, but the plains were of such
an even surface, that they could not but continue wet for a
considerable period after any fall of rain. They were covered with
salsolaceous plants, without a blade of grass; and their soil was
generally a red sandy loam. There were occasional patches that appeared
moist, in which the calystemma was abundant, and these patches must, I
should imagine, form quagmires in the wet season.

On leaving the last-mentioned creek, we found a gently rising country
before us; and about three or four miles from it we crossed some stony
ridges, covered with a new species of acacia so thickly as to prevent
our obtaining any view from them. As the sun declined, we got into open
forest ground; and travelled forwards in momentary expectation, from
appearances, of coming in sight of water; but we were obliged to pull
up at sunset on the outskirts of a larger plain without having our
expectation realized. The day had been extremely warm, and our animals
were as thirsty as ourselves. Hope never forsakes the human breast; and
thence it was that, after we had secured the horses, we began to wander
round our lonely bivouac. It was almost dark, when one of my men came
to inform me that he had found a small puddle of water, to which he had
been led by a pigeon.

It was, indeed, small enough, probably the remains of a passing shower;
it was, however, sufficient for our necessities, and I thanked
Providence for its bounty to us. We were now about sixty miles from the
Macquarie, in a N.W. by W. direction, and the country had proved so
extremely discouraging, that I intimated to my men my intention of
retracing my steps, should I not discover any change in it before noon
on the morrow. A dense brush of acacia succeeded to the plain on which
we had slept, which we entered, and shortly afterwards found ourselves
in an open space, of oblong shape, at the extremity of which there was
a shallow lake. The brush completely encircled it, and a few huts were
upon its banks. About 10 p.m. we got into an open forest track of
better appearance than any over which we had recently travelled.

ISOLATED HILL.

There was a visible chang