234 THE NORTH-AUSTRALIAN EXPEDITION 



in lat. 16° 25 , where the channel did not exceed twenty yards in width, 

 and so little water remained, even at this season, that it had to be fol- 

 lowed down for some miles before a sufficient supply could be obtained. 



15. Being desirous of keeping as far inland as possible, I again 

 struck south-east, crossing the spurs of the table-land. In the valleys 

 between, many small creeks took their rise, and form the heads of the 

 rivers which flow into the Gulf of Carpentaria. 



16. The principal feature of the country was sandstone, though ba- 

 salt and limestone frequently cropped out, and formed small tracts of 

 grassy country, which seemed to expand to the north of our route, but 

 to the south the sandy table-land was almost unbroken. 



17. The elevation of this table-land gradually increased to about 

 900 feet above the sea, and in lat. 17° 40', long. 137° 40', a spur, or 

 rather a detached mass of greater altitude (1300 feet) projected from 

 it to the north. From its higher ridges the view extended for forty or 

 fifty miles to the south ; all was hopelessly level, and without a single 

 marked feature. 



18. August 20. — Deep gullies took their rise on the south-east slope 

 of this high land, rapidly increasing, by their junction, into a consider- 

 able creek, which proved to be the head of the Nicholson River. Con- 

 siderable difficulty was however experienced in descending into its val- 

 ley, owing to the abruptness of the ridges, which were formed by the 

 edges of sandstone strata at a high angle, while granite prevailed in 

 the lower ground. 



19. The Nicholson however soon re-entered the sandstone ranges to 

 the east, over which we toiled for three days, without finding sufficient 

 grass for our horses. Following down the river, the country became 

 more level ; narrow grassy flats appeared on the banks, but the back 

 country was still worthless, covered with very open scrub of Terminalia 

 and Melaleuca, to within thirty miles of the Albert River, when grassy 

 plains commenced, and extended several miles back from the right bank 

 of the river. 



20. On the 30th of August, crossed a line running creek which joined 

 the Nicholson from the south, in lat. 17° 53', after which the river 

 turned to % the north. Continuing our route east-north-east for three 

 miles, struck a tine brook of running water, with open grassy plains on 

 its banks ; its course was nearly east for four miles, when it was joined 

 by a small creek from the south, forming a fine reach of water, which 



