622 NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA 



NW. for a mile, on a stringybark ridge, with a swamp on the left 

 hand draining into the creek we had last crossed. Keeping on the 

 same course, we were surprised to find the swamp beginning to 

 fall, without any perceptible divide, towards a brackish stream, which 

 ran, fringed with mangroves, sluggishly to the west. 



Mr. Crosbie and I, leaving the party behind, advanced about a 

 mile further to the NW., when we found the main Kennedy River. 1 

 We struck it at a reach which seemed about a mile long from east 

 to west. The mangroves made it very difficult to approach the 

 river, which was about a quarter of a mile in width. 



We had now only one course before us, to run the Kennedy 

 [Jackey-Jackey Creek] up without going too near it. Our course 

 was again SW., although our goal lay to the NE. A mile of 

 anxious travelling took us across the swamp, without mishap, to 

 a stringybark ridge. In 3 miles more (SW.) we came to a narrow 

 flooded creek with boggy banks, and pitcher plant and pandanus. 

 We ran it down for a mile and a half to W. and WNW., when the 

 grass gave place to heath, and we came back for half a mile and 

 camped. (CAMP 68.) About a mile below the camp the creek was 

 found to turn to the north-east. A few sea-shells were seen in a 

 NATIVE CAMP, from which we concluded that we were not far from 

 the head of the tide. The creek would be fordable here provided 

 that it should fall a little in the night ; but that seemed hardly 

 probable, as there had been rain for the greater part of the day. 



March 28th. The prospectors' horses had again scattered and 

 were not found till near midday. The crossing we had had in 

 view the previous night was found impracticable, as the creek had 

 risen. Mr. Crosbie succeeded in finding another. While the 

 horses were being sought for, he and I crossed the creek and went 

 ahead about a mile to WNW. On the way back he stopped to 

 improve the crossing, when a very heavy shower came on and in 

 a few minutes swelled the creek to such an extent that the ford 

 was no longer available. When the horses were at length brought 

 up all hands set to work, and we had crossed the creek by a substantial 

 log BRIDGE in less than two hours. With the exception of two 

 boggy gullies crossed later in the day, this creek turned out to be the 

 LAST OF THE KENNEDY WATERS which lay on our course. In 5 miles 

 to WNW., just at sunset, we crossed a sheet of water running to the 

 west, nearly a quarter of a mile wide and 2 feet deep. Fortunately 

 it had a sand bottom, and we found grass on the north side, after 

 having seen nothing but heath for the last 2 miles. (CAMP 69.) 



March 29. Our supply of FLOUR is visibly COMING TO AN END. 

 Including to-day's, we have five days' rations of one and a quarter 

 pounds for four men. 



We travelled 11-$- miles to-day, mainly NNE., on grassy ridges 

 timbered with stringybark, and occasionally scrubby. The country 



1 JACKEY-JACKEY CREEK, the principal feeder of KENNEDY INLET. R. L. J. 



