ns for eight days.

On the 23rd of June they came on a large western-flowing river, which he
called the Ashburton, and which has since proved to be the longest river
in Western Australia. Having crossed this river, and still pursuing a
southerly course, he arrived at a sandstone tableland, and on the 23rd
had, as Gregory writes, "at last the satisfaction of observing the bold
outlines of Mount Augustus."

He returned to the depot camp on the 29th, and though anxious to follow
up the Ashburton to the east, the condition of his horses' feet and the
lack of shoes prevented him. During the return journey to Nickol Bay, he
ascended Mount Samson, and from the summit obtained an extensive view
that embraced every prominent peak within seventy miles, including Mount
Bruce to the north, and Mount Augustus to the south, the distance between
these two elevations being 124 geographical miles. They crossed the
Hammersley Range on to the level plains of the Fortescue by means of a
far easier pass than that used on the outward journey, and arrived at the
Bay on the 19th of July.

On the 31st of July Gregory started on a new expedition to the east. On
the 9th of August he came to a river which apparently headed from the
direction they desired to explore -- namely the south-east. Crossing
another river, which they named the Shaw, the explorers, still keeping
east and south of east, found on the 27th of August, a river of some
importance running through a large extent of good pastoral and
agricultural land. This river was named the De Grey, but as their present
object was to push to the south-east, they left its promising banks and
proceeded into a hilly country where they soon became involved in deep
ravines. After surmounting a rugged tableland, they camped that night at
some springs.

The next night, the 29th of August, they came, some time after dark, on
to the bank of a wide river lined with the magnificent weeping tea-trees.
As three of the horses were tired out, Gregory determined to follow this
river up for a day or two, instead of closing with a range of granite
hills, capped with horizontal sandstones, which loomed threateningly in
their path.

So for two or three days they continued on the Oakover, as he christened
the river, and followed its western branch; a tributary of that led them
in amongst the ranges, which were threaded by an easy pass. On the 2nd of
September they got through the ranges and emerged upon open san