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DR. LEICHHARDT'S TRAVELS. 829 
having encamped, three natives walked boldly up to them, after 
having cooeed and having received a cooee in return. Dr. 
Leichhardt and Mr. Isaacs met them about fifty yards from the 
camp to ascertain, if possible, whether they were near the Colgoon, 
which they expected soon to see ; however, they could not make 
themselves understood, but parted good friends, after having given 
the natives three brass buttons each; there was no doubt that 
they had seen white men before. In coming down the little 
creek they had seen a fine plain to the eastward, and when they 
left it and travelled to the westward, they passed over very fine 
open Box ridges. Six miles from the little creek, and about twenty 
miles west of Bunce’s Creek, they came to a water-course with a 
deep but dry bed, though with some ponds full of water parallel 
to it. The country continued open for about three miles to the 
westward of it, but at that distance a very scrubby mountainous 
country commenced ; this river was the Colgoon, but not finding 
Sir Thomas Mitchell’s track, Dr. Leichhardt supposed he was out 
in his reckoning, and determined to push to the westward until 
he came to the track. After going for seven miles over the scrubby 
mountain, they came to a large creek which ran to the northward, 
and encamped on this creek in latitude 27°, and followed it for 
about four miles ; it preserved its mountainous character, and they 
subsequently left it to continue to the westward. The next six- 
‘teen miles was over a succession of Acacia ridges and creeks, 
which turned all to the N.E. and E.N.E. to join the North Creek, 
among which were patches of very fine Box and Myal country. 
Shortly after they fell in with a water-course going S.S.W., which 
was followed for about ten miles before they came to water, and 
that only after having camped a night without it. From a fine 
rocky water-hole of this little creek they travelled about two miles 
to the westward, when they discovered Sir Thomas Mitchell’s 
returning tracks, and Mr. Kennedy’s three-cart tracks outward 
bound.* About five miles to the northward they came to camp 
80, on a litttle creek with good water-holes, in lat. 26° 53’. They 
continued to follow the tracks of Mr. Kennedy to lat. 26° 35’ and 
: * Lond. Journ. Bot. vol. vi. p. 372. 
VOL. VII. 2P 
