ASCENT OF THE FITZ-ROY. 151 



through a perfectly level country. Seven miles was 

 about as far as the eye could reach over this weari- 

 some looking level. To the westward the country 

 was open ; the trees were small, and in clumps, with 

 green grassy patches between ; but in other direc- 

 tions, it was densely wooded, and on the eastern 

 bank the trees were large. In the branches of 

 the one I ascended, rushes, deposited by the cur- 

 rent, were found 20 feet above the present 

 level of the stream. This part of the country 

 is therefore sometimes visited by heavy floods ; 

 they do not, however, seem to depend imme- 

 diately upon the quantity of rain, for while the 

 whole face of the landscape indicated large and 

 recent supplies, the river appeared little, if at all, 

 affected by them. 



Having determined to follow the larger branch of 

 the Fitz-Roy, we continued on our course, and found 

 that beyond this point the river again widened to 

 nearly 200 yards ; but that a chain of small islets, 

 extending from bank to bank, nearly stopped our 

 proceeding further. This obstacle was, however, 

 overcome after some difficulty ; and still proceeding 

 upwards another mile, we came to a narrow rapid 

 and shallow reach, which brought us into another 

 still and deep, about 100 yards wide, and bounded 

 by high grassy banks. Through this we pursued 

 our way right merrily, indulging in the golden anti- 

 cipation that the Fitz-Roy would yet convey our 

 boats some distance into the interior of that vast 



