rly drainage. We were
again fortunate in coming on another pond at 20 miles, where we halted,
the country round about us wearing an improved appearance. Still our
situation was very precarious, and we were risking a great deal by thus
pushing forward, for although I call the hollows (in which we found the
water) ponds, they were strictly speaking the dregs only of what had been
such, and were thick, black, and muddy; but the present aspect of the
country led us to hope for a favourable change, and on the morning of the
4th we still held our northerly course up the flat, on which we had
travelled the greater part of the day before. As we advanced, it became
more open and grassy, and at three miles we found a small supply of very
tolerable water in the bed of a shallow watercourse. We had ridden about
ten miles from the place where we had slept, and Mr. Browne and I were
talking together, when Flood, who was some little distance a-head, held
up his hat and called out to us. We were quite sure from this
circumstance that he had seen something unusual, and on riding up were
astonished at finding ourselves on the banks of a beautiful creek, the
bed of which was full both of water and grass. The bank on our side was
twenty feet high, and shelved too rapidly to admit of our taking the
horses down, but the opposite bank was comparatively low.

Immediately within view were two large sheets of water around the margin
of which reeds were growing, but nevertheless these ponds were
exceedingly shallow. The direction of this fine watercourse was N. by W.
and S. by E., coming from the first and falling to the last point, thus
enabling us to trace it up without changing our own. A little above where
we intersected its channel two small tributaries join it, or, I am more
inclined to think, two small branches go from it; for we had apparently
been rising as we came up the valley, but more especially as the
direction from which they appeared to come (the S.W.), was almost
opposite to the course of the creek itself. On proceeding upwards we
observed that there were considerable intervals, along which the channel
of the creek was dry; but where such was the case, it was abundantly
covered with couch grass, of which the horses were exceedingly fond. We
passed several sheets of water, however, some of which had a depth of two
feet, although the greater number were shallow. After following it for
ten miles, we halted with brighter prospects, an