Barwan at
Wyabry, crossing the bed of the Macquarie about half a mile above its
junction with the Barwan; there, although the approaches had been well
enough cut, we found the bottom too soft for our heavy vehicles, one of
which dipped its wheel to near the axle. We were obliged to pave the soft
and muddy bed with logs, and to cover these with branches, on which earth
was thrown, ere the rest could be got across. The party arrived about
noon at Wyabry, and by 2 P.M. the whole was safely encamped on the right
bank of the Barwan. I had received this morning a dispatch from my son,
commissioner of this district, in which he gave me a most favourable
account of several rivers he had explored in the direction of my proposed
route. These dispatches came to me at the last camp by the hands of a
native, in forty-four hours after the superintendent of Mr. Lawson, being
then on his way down the river, had promised to send them to me, from a
station forty-five miles off, towards Fort Bourke, where it had been
supposed my party would pass. Lat. of this camp, 30 deg. 5' 41" S. On this
northern bank of the Darling we looked for novelty in botany, and found
some interesting plants, such as a toothed variety of SENERIO
BRACHYLOENUS D. C., a kind of groundsel; MORGANIA FLORIBUNDA, loaded with
purple blossoms, and a variety of HELICHRYSUM BRACTEATUM, somewhat
different in the leaves from the usual state of the species. Thermometer
at sunrise, 70 deg.; at 4 P.M., 98 deg.; at 9, 72 deg.;--with wet bulb, 61 deg..

Chapter III.

THE PARTY ADVANCES INTO THE UNKNOWN REGION BEYOND THE DARLING,--GUIDED BY
TWO ABORIGINAL NATIVES.--PLAINS AND LOW HILLS.--ARRIVE AT PONDS OR
SPRINGS CALLED "CARAWY."--DELAYED BY THE WEAKNESS OF THE CATTLE.--REACH
THE NARRAN SWAMP SOONER THAN EXPECTED.--BRIDGE MADE TO CROSS SOFT PART OF
SWAMP,--WHILE AWAITING THE ARRIVAL OF TIRED BULLOCKS.--SWAMP VERY
EXTENSIVE TO THE EASTWARD.--NEW PLANTS.--RIDE ACROSS THE SWAMP AND
RECONNOITRE THE RIVER NARRAN THIRTY MILES UPWARDS.--THE SWAMP THE LAST
RECEPTACLE OF THE RIVER.--BRIDGE LAID DOWN BY MOONLIGHT.--THE WHOLE PARTY
CROSSES IT, AND AFTERWARDS FORD THE NARRAN,--CROSSING TO THE LEFT BANK.--
ADVANCE BY VERY SHORT STAGES FROM WEAKNESS OF THE CATTLE.--RICH GRASS ON
THE NARRAN.--ELEVATED STONY GROUND TO THE WESTWARD.--AGAIN RECONNOITRE
THE RIVER IN ADVANCE WHILE THE CATTLE REST.--PARLEY WITH A NATIVE.--TWO
NATIVES OF THE BALONNE GUIDE ME TO THAT RIVER.--APPROACH THE ASSEMBLED