At about seven miles from Mosquito Brush we struck upon a
creek of excellent water, upon which the wild fowl were numerous. Some
natives was seen, but they were only women, and seemed so alarmed that
I purposely avoided them. As the creek was leading northerly, we traced
it down on that course for about seven miles, and then halted upon its
banks, which were composed of a light tenacious earth. Brushes of
casuarina existed near it, but a tortuous box was the prevailing tree,
which, excepting for the knees of small vessels, could not have been
applied to any use, while the flooded-gum had entirely disappeared.
Some ducks were shot in the afternoon, which proved a great treat, as
we had been living for some time on salt provisions. Our animals fared
worse than ourselves, as the bed of the creek was occupied by coarse
rushes, and but little vegetation was elsewhere to be seen. I here
killed a beautiful snake, of about four feet in length, and of a bright
yellow colour: I had not, however, the means of preserving it. Fraser
collected numerous botanical specimens, and among them two kinds of
caparis. Indeed a great alteration had taken place in the minor shrubs,
and few of those now prevalent had been observed to the eastward of the
marshes.
From the creek, which both I and Mr. Hume must have crossed on our
respective journeys, we held a westerly course for about fifteen miles,
through a country of alternate plain and brush, the latter
predominating, and in its general character differing but little from
that we had traversed the day previous.
The acacia pendula still continued to exist on the plains backed by
dark rows of cypresses (Cupressus callitris). In the brushes, box and
casuarina (Casuarina tortuosa), with several other kinds of eucalypti,
prevailed; but none of them were sufficiently large to be of use. The
plains were so extremely level that a meridian altitude could have been
taken without any material error; and I doubt much whether it would
have been possible to have traversed them had the season been wet.
HUNTING PARTY OF NATIVES.
As we were travelling through a forest we surprised a hunting party of
natives. Mr. Hume and I were considerably in front of our party at the
time, and he only had his gun with him. We had been moving along so
quietly that we were not for some time observed by them. Three were
seated on the ground, under a tree, and two others were busily employed
on one of the lower branche
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