Nov. 8, 1858.} GASCOYNE RIVERS, IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA. 47 



ning parallel with the river for many miles, was an even grassy range 

 of moderate elevation, nearly destitute of trees or bushes : the acacia 

 and melaleuca, which had hitherto generally covered the plains, were 

 evidently fast giving way to an open, undulating, and thinly-grassed 

 country, the back lands being, however, still too stony to yield 

 much pasture, the summer grass being already parched and dry, the 

 flats alone continuing moist and verdant. 



At our noon halt the main river had ceased to flow, but a tribu- 

 tary coming from the N.E. had a small stream still running in the 

 bottom of a muddy channel, dov^ai which the recent floods had 

 brought flags and portions of bulrush, the only instance throughout 

 the district in which we had observed them. 



The next 10 miles passed over between this and sunset was 

 chiefly an alluvial flat, much resembling the fertile lands near the 

 mouth of the Greenough : the acacias and several varieties of mela- 

 leuca, among which was the Callistemon phceniceus^ with its beautiful 

 scarlet flowers, were growing with tropical luxuriance, the soil in 

 many places being still saturated with moisture. A water melon 

 was here first observed, the fruit not attaining to more than two 

 inches in length, but not otherwise differing from the cultivated 

 kinds. We also found a fruit in shape like a pear, three inches in 

 length, growing on a small creeper ; the interior of the fruit con- 

 sisted of a number of small flat seeds, to which were attached a 

 bundle of long silky fibres resembling cotton. Our bivouac was in 

 lat. 24P T 52", near a fine pool of fresh water, with limestone 

 cropping out in a thin bed on the banks ; we had frequently met 

 with it distributed in small nodules scattered over a large portion 

 of the country on the Upper Murchison. 



Since quitting the mouth of the Gascoyne we had seen natives 

 almost daily ; to-night we again found ourselves in close proximity 

 to a large encampment of them. 



2nd June. — Our neighbours paid us an early visit this morning, 

 some of them evidently bent on mischief, but were restrained by 

 others more prudent, not, however, before it had nearly cost one of 

 them his life ; having pointed a spear at Mr. Moore, Dugel, whose 

 natural instincts are very destructive, hastily took aim at him, but 

 fortunately pulled the wrong trigger, which just gave his adversary 

 time to lower his weapon. On our mounting our horses they hastily 

 fell back and joined their other companions at their camp, which 

 was just in our line of march ; about thirty of them awaited our 

 approach with some tokens of defiance, but most of them decamped 

 on our coming within spear's throw. 



Directing our course for Mount Augustus, we pushed on at a 



