ound it, an emu
came walking along the shady bed of the creek; I immediately mounted my
horse and pursued it with the dog, and caught it after a very short run;
to prevent its wounding the dog, I dismounted to kill it, when my horse
became frightened, broke loose, and ran away. I returned with the emu to
the water, and when the train arrived, I sent Charley after the horse,
whilst I walked about two miles further up the creek to find a better
supply of water. Not succeeding, however, I returned and encamped at the
small pool, which we enlarged with the spade, and obtained a sufficient
supply of very good water. Charley returned with the horse, but my
saddlebags, my journals and a calabash were lost. I was in great anxiety,
and blamed myself severely for having committed such an act of
imprudence. Charley went, however, a second time on foot, and succeeded
in finding everything but the calabash, which was a great loss to our
dog.

In the camping place of the natives, I found a large round stone of
porphyry, upon which the natives were accustomed to break the
seed-vessels of Pandanus. I could discover no indications of this rock in
the creek, not even the smallest pebble; and I am consequently inclined
to think that this stone was brought by the natives from a considerable
distance to the south-west. But, from the broken pieces of granite of our
last camp, it became evident that a rocky primitive country, like that of
the upper Lynd, could not be very distant. Even the vegetation agreed
well with that of the same locality; as the dwarf Grevillea, G.
chrysodendrum, and the falcate Grevillea of the upper Lynd, were here
again observed. The tea-trees along the banks of the creek, as far as the
salt-water extended, were leafless and dead. This may be accounted for by
a succession of dry years in which usual freshes have not taken place;
and by the supposition that the drooping tea-tree cannot live on water
entirely salt.

Sept. 6.--We travelled twelve miles north-west, through Pandanus and
bloodwood forest, alternating with scrub, stringy-bark forest, and
tea-tree thickets; and, in the latter part of the stage, through
broad-leaved tea-tree forest. We encamped at a fine river, with a bed
three hundred yards broad from bank to bank, but with a narrow channel of
running water. This channel was fringed with the water Pandanus, which we
first observed at Beames's Brook; the sandy bed was covered with drooping
tea-trees and Grev