the camp, when they were followed by a tribe of natives, making
threatening demonstrations, and armed with spears; one spear was actually
thrown, when Mr. Kennedy, fearing for the safety of his party, ordered
his men to fire upon them; four of the natives fell, but Mr. Kennedy
could not ascertain whether more than one was killed, as the other three
were immediately carried off into the scrub.

July 5.

Luff and Douglas now began to get better, but being still unable to walk,
we could not break up our camp.

July 6.

We started early this morning, and crossed two creeks with narrow belts
of scrub on each side, running north-east. I have little doubt these
creeks run into the river we crossed on the 8th of June. The banks of the
second creek were nearly twenty feet high, so that we were obliged to
lower down the carts into its bed by means of ropes and pulleys, fastened
to the branches of the trees which overhung the creek. The horses were
got into the creek with a great deal of difficulty, then harnessed to the
carts, and we proceeded along the bed of the creek till we arrived at a
spot where the banks on the opposite side were not so steep. At this
place by harnessing six horses to each of the carts, we managed to get
them all out of the creek without any accident. The bed of the creek was
composed of granite pebbles. We encamped on the northern side of it, the
soil being a strong clayey loam, well covered with grass two or three
feet high, so thick that it was difficult to walk through it. The country
here was hilly open forest-land, with a high range before us, running
north-east. The trees were principally Moreton Bay ash, box, and another
species of eucalyptus, resembling the common ironbark, but with long
narrow leaves. I also found a magnificent species of Grevillea, with fine
pinnatifid silvery leaves, and beautiful racemes of orange-coloured
flowers; also another tree belonging to the same natural order, rivalling
the Grevillea in the beauty of its flowers, producing an abundance of
cream-coloured blossoms, on compound, terminal racemes. In the scrub by
the side of the creek, I found a most beautiful Scitamineos plant, the
foliage, root, and habit of which resembled Hedychium. The beauty of the
plant consisted in its large, stiff, shining bracteae, which continue to
grow after the small pink blossoms have fallen. The bracteae are about
half an inch broad at the base, slightly curved inwards, and tapering to