12 EXPLORATION IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA 



Ord of the police. He advised me to go out to Mount Broome, 

 at the foot of the Leopold Range, and prospect for gold, where 

 diggers were getting very fair returns. 



I left Derby with six Queensland blacks, thirty-one horses, 

 and two dogs, and arrived without any misadventure worth 

 mentioning at Mt. Broome. 1 crossed the Leopold Range at the 

 west side of the mountain, which 1 and my party ascended with 

 great difficulty, owing to its steepness and roughness. During 

 the ascent, two of my pack-horses fell and smashed the pack- 

 saddles badly. Whilst we were repairing damages, we suddenly 

 were surprised by hearing cooees from the wild blacks above us. 

 Not wishing them to beeoiue acquainted with the smallness of 

 my party, I directed a few riHe shots towards the voices, which 

 had the effect of stopping the approach of the enemy. Arrived 

 at the summit, I found, by my aneroid, that the height was 

 1,800 feet above the level of my camp at the foot of the 

 mountain, whilst the range is but 1,000 feet above it. As may 

 be seen by the map, the Lennard River or Creek lies at the liack 

 of Mt, Broome to the west. It is a splendidly watered creek, 

 and there are a few patches of really good cattle country, 

 averaging about three miles in width, bordering it. In ."^ome 

 places, the range comes right down to the Lennard. On the 

 north side of this creek, there is another big range, not quite so 

 high as the Leopold, but nearly as rough. We managed, , 

 however, to negotiate it, but our greatest trouble was getting 

 down again on the other side. It was a pretty break-neck 

 descent, but we reached the bottom without casualties. 



Here I found another splendid running creek, and the 

 surrounding country much resembled that of the Lennard, 

 but it occupied a greater breadth. On the north -ide of the 

 creek there is a range so precipitous as to be absolutely impass- 

 able. Finding I could not cross it on the east, I skirted it for 

 about five miles in a north-west direction, until I found I was 

 approaching the end of it. Here I was able with -lifficulty to 

 make the ascent, but I was well repaid for the arduous task of 

 climbing its rocky sides. In the distance, about five miles 

 away 1 observed a range, not very high, but what inight be 

 called a regular " terror." Its sides were entirely composed of 

 large, flat, slippery rocks, on Avhich no horse could have found a 

 footing. 



I forgot to say that I named the aforesaid creek the " Bell," 

 after Mr. Bell, of Derby. I could not then ascertain what 



