THE INTEKIOR OF WE8TEBN AUSTEALlA, 147 



Up in a confused heap of immense boulders, its opposite extremity 

 woidd repose in broad smooth sheets of almost unbroken rock. Whe- 

 ther these appearances have been occasioned by subterranean fire, or 

 merely exhibit the wreck of once lofty peaks, I feel unable to say; 

 such hills had evidently in former ages been of considerably greater di- 

 mensions. Those met with on the eastern part of our journey could 

 never be relied on for aifording feed for our horses. 



On 2nd of December, having reached a lofty and remarkable gi'anite 



hill, fifty miles S,"W. of the Russell Range, which I had the honour to 



name Howick Hill, in reference to the talented nobleman at the head 

 of Colonial affairs, we were then twenty-five miles abreast of Mount 

 Ney, and I determined on sending to bring in our valued horse from 



thence, if found alive and able to travel. Accordingly, Messrs. Ridley 

 and Gregory, who had volunteered the service, were despatched to 

 Mount Ney, on the two best horses we had, while I conducted the 

 party to some grass and water we had passed in a low swamp three 

 miles back, the country for many miles round being tolerably level, and 

 covered with very thick prickly scrub, knee-high, closely matted, and 

 difficult to get through. Large clumps of NuyUia fiorihinda (cabbage- 

 tree) mixed with Melaleuca (tea-tree), both of stunted and gnarled 

 growth, were now scattered about, and formed the nearest approach to 

 timber we had seen for 350 miles. Stagnant water was plentiful, but 

 the grass was very scarce, wiry, and coarse. The total failure of even 

 this supply obliged me on the 4th to remove the horses to another and 

 more grassy spot, which we had discovered in our rambles, two miles 

 further to the S.W, ; and I should gladly have moved the entire camp 

 also, had I not feared our absent companions might thereby miss us 

 altogether, had they travelled after dark to rejoin us. The necessity 

 for shifting our camp was however becoming urgent, for, independent 

 of the grass and feed being closely eaten off, one by one of our little 

 water-holes had dried up, leaving half a bushel of tadpoles an inch long 

 at the bottom; and our bowels and limbs were affected by our un- 

 healthy low situation. Intending to leave a memorandum of our where- 

 abouts, we were preparing to start from this residence of fever and ague 

 while we had the power to do so, when, to our great joy, the absentees 

 returned late in the day, with Ncy in company. His respite of fifteen 

 days had improved him wonderfully, though he still gave too abundant 

 evidence of continued weakness, but this T trusted some indulgence 



