the brow of a stony hill.
Charley and Brown, accompanied by Spring, pursued them, and killed a fine
young male. I had promised my companions that, whenever a kangaroo was
caught again, it should be roasted whole, whatever its size might be. We
had consequently a roasted Red Forester for supper, and we never rolled
ourselves up in our blankets more satisfied with a repast.
Brown found a Eugenia, with large white blossoms and large coriaceous
oblong lanceolate shining leaves; it was a tree of thirty or forty feet
high, with a grey bark, and a good hard wood. It was growing at the upper
part of the creek on which we were encamped last night. Its fruit was two
inches in diameter, with longitudinal ribs, scarlet red, and very eatable
when dropt from the tree, but when gathered on the tree, it had an
aromatic pungency. This tree was very common along the well watered
creeks of Arnheim's Land; particularly along the South Alligator River,
and at Raffles Bay. Brown brought from the same locality a Melastoma,
which, according to him, was a shrub, three or four feet high.
Oct. 15.--We continued our journey in a north-west direction. The first
five or six miles was over a succession of very lightly timbered
box-flats, alternating with small plains. They were bounded by scrubs and
ranges, which we crossed, and from the top of one obtained the view of a
remarkable system of parallel ranges, all steep mountain walls of a white
colour indicating the nature of their rock, and separated from each other
by perfectly level flats covered with broad leaved tea-tree forest. At
their foot a richer tree vegetation existed, principally composed of the
leguminous Ironbark, Blood-wood, and Pandanus. The darker verdure of
these trees, which we also observed at the foot of the most distant
range, made us believe that a river was near it. After travelling about
five miles over a flat, we crossed a broad sandy creek, which we did not
follow, although beaten foot-paths of the natives led down it, as we
firmly believed that a river was before us. At five miles farther, we
came to the foot of the range, which rose suddenly from the level
country, and, although a small watercourse existed in the tea-tree flat,
our anticipated river proved to be like the Dutchman's "Cape Fly-away."
In ascending the range, our poor bullocks suffered severely, and, when we
reached the summit, they stood panting with their tongues hanging out of
their mouths; I therefore h
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