CH. III.] PROPOSED ROUTE. 75 



enabled me to retire upon the river, without seeming to 

 turn, as in fact I did, to avoid further collision with the 

 natives at so great a distance from the Jiarty. The bed of 

 the river was flat, and consisted of small jDebbles, not much 

 worn by attrition, and mixed with sand. Many dead trees 

 lay in parts of the channel. The average breadth of the 

 water was forty-five yards ; the breadth from bank to bank 

 seventy-two yards ; and the perpendicular height of the 

 banks above the water, twenty-seven feet. 



In the afternoon, the natives appeared on the opposite 

 bank, and were soon after heard calling out ^' Witefellow 

 Witefellow." Dawkins advanced quietly to the river bank 

 to speak to them, and encourage them to cross ; but they 

 disappeared as soon as they saw him. 



The " Barber " had stated, that the large river was the 

 first water to be met with, after crossing the range in the 

 direction of N. E. by N. from " Tangulda." We had 

 reached the country beyond that range by going round it ; 

 and had at length found, after crossing various dry channels, 

 not the great river described by him, but only the Gwydir of 

 Cunningham. It remained for me to trace this into the 

 interior, as far as might be necessary to ascertain its ultimate 

 course ; with the probability, also, of discovering its junction 

 with some river of greater importance. 



