NARRATIVE OF MR. CARRON. 191 



with their spears shipped^ making- a most hideous 

 noise^ and with the most savag'e g-estures. Know- 

 ing* the fire could not reach us, as there was nothing- 

 to burn on our side the g-ully, we drew up towards 

 them with our fire-arms prepared. They approached 

 near enoug-h to throw three spears into our camp, 

 one of which went quite throug'h one of our tents. 

 No one was hurt, but a few of our party fired at 

 them ; we could not tell whether any were wounded, 

 as they disappeared almost immediately. We kept 

 three on Avatch this night for fear of the natives. 



Sept. 17 fh to 21st. — Leaving* the river, we turned 

 north-west, and had occasionally fair travelling- 

 over stiff soil, intersected by many creeks, most of 

 them dry, but were every where able to find water 

 at intervals of a few miles. We passed over some 

 ironstone ridg*es, and rocky hills, covered with 

 Callitris, CocJilospermimij and Sterculias. On the 

 stiff soil the trees were iron-bark, box, apple-g*um, 

 and some larg*e acacias, with long- lanceolate 

 phyllodia, and large spikes of g'olden-coloured 

 flowers. The g-rass here in the valleys between the 

 hills had been burned, and was g-rown up ag-ain 

 about eig'ht or ten inches hig-h. 



Sept. 22nd. — We crossed a creek running- east- 

 ward, overhung- by melaleucas and arborescent 

 callistemons, with plenty of g-rass on both sides ; the 

 soil appeared to become more sandy than that over 

 which we had hitherto passed. 



Sept. 2Srd. — We proceeded on our course, tra- 



