FROM FALSE ORFORD NESS TO SOMERSET 613 



I attempted to reach the creek half a mile further down, but was 

 baffled by the dense growth of reeds in deep, still water, over a 

 breadth of nearly a quarter of a mile. 



March 30. The whole day was consumed in crossing the BOG, 

 which we did after travelling for a mile to ENE. on a good, grassy, 

 well-timbered ridge. Where we crossed, the creek ran east. It 

 was deep and wide, but had a sound bottom. Tributary bogs 

 came in from the north. We next crossed BOGS AND HEATH for 

 nearly a mile to east, north-east and west. At the last bog we 

 had very serious difficulties. The packs had to be carried about 

 a quarter of a mile across water and rushes, knee deep, the horses 

 standing almost up to their bellies all the time. RAIN came on in 

 the middle of the operation. Had it continued an hour, men and 

 horses would probably have been swept down into Newcastle 

 Bay. Several of the HORSES got BOGGED on being led across with 

 empty saddles. But for the assistance of the prospectors, " Olive " 

 would never have reached dry land. 



We camped on the edge of a scrub bordering a branch of the 

 swamp. (CAMP 71.) 



More RAIN fell after we got into camp. 

 March 31. The night and day were fine. 



After 2 miles of travelling to ENE., over red-soil ridges, occa- 

 sionally stony, but well grassed and timbered, Crosbie climbed a 

 tree and saw the " low-wooded country " (MANGROVES), marked on 

 the chart, BETWEEN the estuaries of the KENNEDY and ESCAPE 

 RIVERS. 



Descending into a valley, we kept for half a mile to WNW. 

 along a belt of SCRUB, and for half a mile in the same direction to 

 another scrub, which proved very dense and had to be cut. 



In half a mile through SCRUB, down a gentle slope to the NW., 

 we reached a wet alluvial flat with very long grass. Recent cattle 

 tracks were everywhere about. One well-beaten track led round 

 the head of the alluvial flat. We followed it for about a mile 

 from NNW. till it turned to SE., when we left it, fully convinced 

 that the track did not lead to Somerset. 



In half a mile to ENE. we reached the right bank of a fourth- 

 magnitude creek connecting a chain of water-holes ; on running 

 the creek up for a mile to the north we got hemmed in by scrubs 

 to the left, while the creek to the right was impassable. We came 

 back for half a mile to the south and camped. (CAMP 72.) 



After we had camped I went down to where we had turned off 

 the cattle tracks and traced them a little further. I found that 

 they crossed the creek within a quarter of a mile by a good crossing. 

 I found also a good crossing with a hard gravelly bottom. There 

 were signs that NATIVES had recently been FEASTING ON BEEF. 

 There was one heavy shower in the night. 



i. On crossing the creek near the camp we discovered 



