o some distance she turned round to
look at us, and then walked off at a more leisurely pace. At the distance
of about four miles, the sandy ridge made a short turn, and we were
obliged to cross over to the opposite side to preserve our course. On
gaining the top of the ridge, we saw an open box-tree forest, and a small
column of smoke rising up from amongst the trees, towards which we
silently bent our steps. Our approach had however been noticed by the
natives, who no doubt were at the place not a minute before, but had now
fled. We then pushed on through the forest, the ground beneath our
horses' feet being destitute of vegetation, and the soil composed of a
whitish clay, so peculiar to the flooded lands of the interior. The
farther we entered the depths of the forest, the more did the notes of
birds assail our ears. Cockatoos, parrots, calodera, pigeons, crows,
etc., all made that solitude ring with their wild notes, and as (with the
exception of the ducks on the southern side of the Stony Desert) we had
not seen any of the feathered race for many days, we were now astonished
at their numbers and variety. About an hour before sunset we arrived on
the banks of a large creek, with a bed of couch grass, but no water. The
appearance of this creek, however, was so promising that we momentarily
expected to see a pond glittering before us, but rode on until sunset ere
we arrived at a place which had attracted our attention as we approached
it. Somewhat to the right, but in the bed of the creek, there were two
magnificent trees, the forest still extending back on either side.
Beneath these trees there was a large mound of earth, that appeared to
have been thrown up. On reaching the spot we discovered a well of very
unusual dimensions, and as there was water in it, we halted for the
night.

On a closer examination of the locality, this well appeared to be of
great value to the inhabitants. It was 22 feet deep and 8 feet broad at
the top. There was a landing place, but no steps down to it, and a recess
had been made to hold the water, which was slightly brackish, the rim of
the basin being also incrusted with salt. Paths led from this spot to
almost every point of the compass, and in walking along one to the left,
I came on a village consisting of nineteen huts, but there were not any
signs of recent occupation. Troughs and stones for grinding seed were
lying about, with broken spears and shields, but it was evident that the