266 A LONG RAMBLE IN QUEENSLAND 



high enough to obtain a very fine view of the country to 

 the north and north-westward. In these directions many 

 high hills and cliffs could be seen, and also a wide plain, 

 across which we could see at least sixty miles in the 

 marvellously clear air of this part of the country, which 

 has probably, on the whole, the finest climate in the 

 world. The land was well wooded, and had the appear- 

 ance of a fine pastoral country, which indeed we afterwards 

 found it to be. 



About the foot of the hill there were a few wallaby 

 and kangaroos of kinds common in New South Wales, 

 including the great kangaroo, or " old man " ; but they were 

 very wild, a pretty sure indication that they had been 

 much harassed by man ; and we succeeded in shooting 

 only one small wallaby. Emus and a cassowary were 

 seen, and a rifle-shot or two fired at them, but none were 

 obtained. All the parrots hitherto seen were of kinds 

 found in the southern colony. 



It was decided by show of hands that the party should 

 not proceed any further in the direction of the interior, 

 a decision which disappointed me much, as I was most 

 anxious to explore the country in that direction. How- 

 ever, I was bound by the decision of the majority, and 

 when the start was made, it was towards the favourable- 

 looking country to the north. Over this district we rode 

 sixty miles in two days, and found the soil rich and 

 covered with a kind of kangaroo grass, with patches of 

 creeper and jungle scrub — in fact, a very good land for the 

 stockman's business, but lacking in water. The only 

 pool we found was a stretch of mud a dozen acres in 

 extent, with a dirty puddle in the centre. We saw at a 

 glance that cattle had been there, and soon found that the 

 country had been known and used for some time by 

 several stockmen from the neighbourhood of Bowen. 

 We met two of their riders, and saw several thousand head 

 of cattle. 



The riders were very chummy, not having seen a 

 white face, they assured us, for eight months. They 

 were expecting to have a relief sent immediately, when 



