ed out our last gelatine for Sunday luncheon;
it was as good as when we started: the heat had, however, frequently
softened it, and made it stick to the bag and to the things with which it
was covered.

The fire places of the natives were here arranged in a straight line, and
sheltered from the cold wind by dry branches: they were circular, the
circumference was slightly raised, and the centre depressed and filled
with pebbles, which the natives heat to cook their victuals.

The bell which one of our horses carried, was unaccountably broken at our
last camp; and it was quite a misery to hear its dull jarring sound,
instead of the former cheerful tinkling. One of our horses had separated
from the rest, and had gone so far up the creek, that Charley did not
return with it until very late in the afternoon of the 1st September,
which compelled us to stop at our camp.

CHAPTER XII

HEAPS OF OYSTER-SHELLS--FALSE ALARM OF A NATIVE IN THE CAMP--TURNER'S
CREEK--WENTWORTH'S CREEK--JOURNALS LOST; FOUND AGAIN--THE VAN
ALPHEN--IMPORTANCE OF TEA--CHOICE OF BULLOCKS FOR AN EXPEDITION--CHOICE
OF A DOG--THE CALVERT--THE ABEL TASMAN--GLUCKING BIRD AGAIN--DISCOVER A
MODE OF USING THE FRUIT OF THE PANDANUS--SEVEN EMU RIVER--CROCODILE--THE
ROBINSON--SHOAL OF PORPOISES--NATIVE METHOD OF PREPARING THE FRUIT OF THE
PANDANUS AND CYCAS FOR FOOD--MR. ROPER CONVALESCENT--WEAR AND TEAR OF
CLOTHES--SUCCEED IN DRESSING THE SEEDS OF STERCULIA--THE
MACARTHUR--FRIENDLY PARLEY WITH CIRCUMCISED NATIVES--STORE OF TEA
EXHAUSTED--MEDICAL PROPERTY OF THE GREVILLEA DISCOVERED.

Sept. 2.--We travelled N.W. by W. and came, after passing some of the
usual tea-tree scrub, to an undulating country, with scattered shrubs of
the salt water tea-tree, which grew particularly on the sandy heads of
salt water creeks. Salicornia was another sure indication of salt water;
and, after about seven or eight miles, our course was intercepted by a
broad salt-water creek. Its bed, however, was sandy, and the water
shallow, which enabled us to cross it a little higher up, without
difficulty. We turned again to the N.W. by W., steering for one of the
numerous smokes of the natives' fires which were visible in every
direction. We soon came, however, to broad sands with deep impressions of
the tracks of emus, wallabies, and natives; and to sandy depressions
sloping towards narrow salt-water creeks densely fringed with Mangroves.
A large river was no doubt before us.