RIVER.

Notwithstanding every precaution in watering the cattle, and at a place
selected too as the best that could be found after a careful examination
of two miles of the river, one of the horses fell in; but on this
occasion it was safely got out again. The abundance of water, though a
novelty to us, was a source of new trouble and anxiety from the danger
our cattle were in of being drowned, owing to the precipitous banks and
soft mud of the river. This peril was indeed so imminent that in the
morning it was thought most prudent to water all the horses with a
bucket, and not to risk the loss of the bullocks by suffering them to
drink at all.

May 18.

Being determined to keep the river in sight, we this day continued our
journey along its margin. I found we could follow the general course
without entering bends by travelling at the base of a second bank, which
seemed to divide the yarra-tree flats from the scrubby ground behind.

LAGOONS PREFERABLE TO THE RIVER FOR WATERING CATTLE.

We came thus upon some rainwater in the clay of the plains which, being
sufficient to satisfy the bullocks, we gladly availed ourselves of the
opportunity it afforded of watering them without unyoking. After
proceeding about three miles further we saw a lagoon between us and the
Murrumbidgee. It resembled a bend of the river, and contained abundance
of water on which were three pelicans and a number of ducks. When we had
travelled nearly far enough to encamp, we came on two other lagoons of
the same kind, similarly situated and both containing water. The grass
being good, I determined to pitch our tents between them, as the cattle
might thus be watered for one night at least without the risk of being
bogged or drowned. These lagoons looked like different bends of a river,
although we saw the ends of both and passed on firm ground between them.
It was evident however that they could only be supplied by the
inundations of the river. On this day we killed a kangaroo.

HIGH WIND, DANGEROUS IN A CAMP UNDER TREES.

May 19.

During the night the weather was tempestuous; at three A.M. it blew a
hurricane and the rain fell heavily afterwards. I was not sorry when the
wind abated for we were so confined for room between the two lagoons that
my tent had been pitched, and most of our encampment placed, unavoidably
under a large yarra tree, a very unsafe position during high winds, but
fortunately no branches fell. In the morning, after proc