ed upon the creek from the time we left it in the
morning, having wandered from it in a northerly direction, along a
native path that we intersected, and that seemed to have been recently
trodden, since footsteps were fresh upon it. At sunset, we crossed a
broad dry creek that puzzled us extremely, and were shortly afterwards
obliged to stop for the night upon a plain beyond it. We had, during
the afternoon, bent down to the S.W. in hopes that we should again have
struck upon New Year's Creek; and, under an impression that we could
not be far from it, Mr. Hume and I walked across the plain, to
ascertain if it was sufficiently near to be of any service to us. We
came upon a creek, but could not decide whether it was the one for
which we had been searching, or another.

Its bed was so perfectly even that it was impossible to say to what
point it flowed, more especially as all remains of debris had mouldered
away. It was, however, extremely broad, and evidently, at times, held a
furious torrent. In the centre of it, at one of the angles, we
discovered a pole erected, and at first thought, from the manner in
which it was propped up, that some unfortunate European must have
placed it there as a mark to tell of his wanderings, but we afterwards
concluded that it might be some superstitious rite of the natives, in
consequence of the untowardness of the season, as it seemed almost
inconceivable that an European could have wandered to such a distance
from the located districts in safety.

REACH A LARGE RIVER.

The creek had flooded-gum growing upon its banks, and, on places
apparently subject to flood, a number of tall straight saplings were
observed by us. We returned to the camp, after a vain search for water,
and were really at a loss what direction next to pursue. The men kept
the cattle pretty well together, and, as we were not delayed by any
preparations for breakfast, they were saddled and loaded at an early
hour. The circumstance of there having been natives in the
neighbourhood, of whom we had seen so few traces of late, assured me
that water was at hand, but in what direction it was impossible to
guess. As the path we had observed was leading northerly, we took up
that course, and had not proceeded more than a mile upon it, when we
suddenly found ourselves on the banks of a noble river. Such it might
in truth be called, where water was scarcely to be found. The party
drew up upon a bank that was from forty to forty-