320 NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA 



Range " and which forms the divide between the waters of the 

 Gulf of Carpentaria and the Pacific Ocean. This divide, or water- 

 shed, the Brothers named the RICHARDSON RANGE. 



One more of the horses died in the course of the day from the 

 effects of the POISON PLANT eaten at Camp 67. 



On ijth January, " the country was similar to that of yesterday, 

 save that the RIDGES were HIGHER AND MORE STONY." The ascent 

 commenced at Camp 70 and the summit was reached in 4! miles. 

 ANT-HILLS of bright red earth were noted by Richardson as 

 reaching the height of 25 to 30 feet. At 2 and 10 miles from 

 Camp 70, creeks were crossed, running west, probably to join 

 the NORTH ALICE CREEK l of the Telegraph survey. CAMP 71 

 was pitched on the right bank of a creek (with vine scrub and 

 Seaforthia palms) I5i- miles north of Camp 70, which was named 

 SKARDON CREEK. This creek crosses the telegraph line a few miles 

 further west and discharges into Port Musgrave. It was 

 erroneously identified by the telegraph surveyors as the Jardines' 

 " Dalhunty " and the error has been imported into official maps 

 subsequent to 1887. It must remain the DALHUNTY, DE FACTO, 

 although it is the SKARDON, DE JURE. 



The two last of the " good " HORSES DIED at this camp from the 

 POISON eaten at Camp 67. The forty-two with which they had 

 set out were now reduced to fifteen of the " culls." 



A general course of N. by E. was kept on i8tb January and 12 

 miles were believed to have been accomplished. Applying the 

 " correction for difficulty," the distance works out at about 

 4 miles of northing. 



" The march to-day," says Byerley (p. 50), " is described as being through the 

 MOST ABOMINABLE COUNTRY that can we]l be imagined, being a continuation of loose 

 white sandy ridges thickly covered with LOW BUSH from 3 to 8 feet in height, 

 broom, fern, grasstree, pandanus and ' five-corner ' bushes being thickly matted 

 together with PRICKLY VINE. Not a tree relieved the monotony of this waste, and, 

 what was worse, NOT A BLADE OF GRASS was seen for miles. Several DEEP CREEKS were 

 crossed, all running strongly with clear pellucid water to W. and NW. The timber, 

 when it occurred,was bloodwood, stringy- and iron-bark on the ridges, banksia, grevillia 

 and several kinds of teatrees in the gullies, which were honeycombed and boggy. 

 Two new kinds of PALM were seen. The bush, which seems to be what Kennedy 

 alluded to as " HEATH," could only be got through by leading a horse ahead, the others 

 following slowly behind him, the cattle then following in their track. A straight 

 course was impossible, as all the boggy creeks and gullies had to be run up to their 

 heads before they could be crossed. . . . The packs were continually being knocked 

 off the horses, occasioning great delay. . . . Some black perch were caught in one 

 of the creeks and scrub turkeys were seen. Poor ' Nel Gwynne's ' foal knocked up 

 to-day, after having kept up bravely since the mare's death. Nothing remained there- 

 fore but to kill him. The party being without meat, and it being impossible to stop 

 in such a country to kill a beast, part of his flesh was dressed and carried on, which 

 was a grateful addition to the food, and although two or three at first refused to 

 eat of it, the craving of hunger soon made them forget their repugnance to HORSEFLESH. 



1 Named after Frank Jardine's daughter. 



