MULLIGAN'S FOURTH EXPEDITION 435 



their journey to the north-east, at the branch which the modern 

 map calls SPENCER'S CREEK. They made the camp near the head 

 of this creek their headquarters till Sth November for various 

 reasons. A horse was lame, Mulligan himself was not feeling very 

 well, and it rained every day : prospecting, fishing and shooting 

 took up some time, and finally there was the sport of tracking a 

 bullock. This hunt for beef, though unsuccessful in its primary 

 object, resulted in the locating of the MITCHELL RIVER 12 or 14 

 miles south of the camp, and also some quartz reefs, which, however, 

 were not of a promising aspect. 



On qth November, the party climbed, in 2 miles, northward to 

 the top of the WATERSHED BETWEEN THE McLEOD AND THE PALMER. 

 The ascent is described as being " higher and four times worse 

 than Hell's Gates, on the road to Cooktown." Outcrops of 

 LIMESTONE were observed on the summit. The CAMP for the night 

 was at the first water on " the extreme head " of the PALMER, 

 apparently the head named PROSPECT CREEK on the modern map. 

 There was no quartz in the hills and no gold at the camp. 



The party, next day (loth November), went n miles WNW. 

 down the PALMER (Prospect Creek), which would make the camp 

 midway between PICCANINNY and STEWART CREEKS. On nth 

 November, a further distance of 9 miles was accomplished, and for 

 the first time water was observed in the river, which received it 

 from " a narrow boggy creek," presumably the BOGGY CREEK of 

 the modern map. Quartz had now begun to appear, and " shotty 

 GOLD," but not enough of it, was found in the river as well as in 

 gullies and ravines near the camp. 



The CAMP of 12th November was 6 miles further down the 

 river (NW.). The two following days were spent in prospecting, 

 but as water was for the most part not available, the men had to 

 be content with " dry-blowing," and although " colours " of 

 GOLD were obtained, nothing remunerative was found. The fires 

 of four NATIVE CAMPS were seen above this camp. 



On i$th November the party LEFT THE PALMER and went north 

 for 9 miles. On the ijth, they camped beside an old native 

 camp, where a spring issued from basalt, on the eastern fall, near 

 the head of the HEARN OR LAURA RIVER, after having headed the 

 " LITTLE PALMER " RIVER. In crossing from the Palmer valley 

 to the head of the Little Palmer, it was found that the granite 

 range which had, down to this point, formed the north-eastern 

 wall of the Palmer valley, continued to the north or north-west, 

 while the divide between the Little Palmer and the Normanby was 

 a comparatively low range of basalt. From a peak near this camp, 

 BATTLE CAMP RANGE was visible to the north (45 miles) and 

 MOUNT PETER BOTTE to east-south-east (40 miles). 



In this camp it was hotly debated whether the expedition 

 should return to Palmerville or go eastwards to the DAINTREE. 



