et of
water, such as we had not seen for many a day. It was altogether too
important a feature to pass without further examination; I therefore
crossed, and halted on its west bank, and as soon as Flood returned, (who
had not seen any water,) but had ascertained that just below the trees,
the creek spreads over the plain, I sent him with Mr. Browne to trace it
up northward, the fall of the country apparently being from that point.
In the meantime we unloaded the horses, and put them out on better grass
than they had had for some time. On the opposite side of the creek, and
somewhat above us, there were two huts, and the claws of crayfish were
scattered about near them. There were also a few wild fowl and
Haemantopus sitting on the water, either unconscious of or indifferent to
our presence. This fine sheet of water was more than 60 yards broad by
about 120 long, but, as far as we could judge, it was shallow.

Mr. Browne returned to me in about three hours, having traced the creek
upwards until he lost its channel, as Flood had done on a large plain,
that extended northwards to the horizon. He observed the country was very
open in that direction, and had passed another pond of water, deeper but
not so large as that at which we had stopped, and surprised an old native
in his hut with two of his wives, from whom he learnt that there were
both hills and fish to the north.

Whilst Mr. Browne was away, I debated within myself whether or not to
turn from the course on which I had been running to trace this creek up.
The surface water was so very scarce, that I doubted the possibility of
our getting on; but was reluctant to deviate from the line on which I had
determined to penetrate, and I think that, generally, one seldom gains
anything in so doing. From Mr. Browne's account of the creek, its
character appeared to be doubtful, so that I no longer hesitated on my
onward course; but we remained stationary for the remainder of the day.

The evening of this day was beautifully fine, and during it many flights
of parrots and pigeons came to the water. Of the latter we shot several,
but they were very wild and wary. There was on the opposite side of the
creek a long grassy flat, with box-trees growing on it, together with a
new Bauhinia, which we saw here for the first time. On this grassy flat
there were a number of the water-hens we had noticed on the little
fresh-water creek near Lake Torrens. These birds were running about lik