78 TORTUOUS COURSE OF THE GWYDIR. [CH. IV. 



Jan. 11. — Pursuing a westerlj^ course, I found the river on 

 my right at five miles. At a mile further, it crossed my in- 

 tended line of route, and obliged me to turn south -south-west, 

 in which direction we intercepted the junction of the dry 

 river, named Kareen, which we crossed on the 8th instant. 

 The bed above the junction was narrow but deep, and the 

 permanent character of its banks gave, to this channel, the 

 appearance of a considerable tributary, which it probably may 

 be at some seasons, although then dry. In a section of the 

 bank near the junction, I observed a bed of calcareous tuff. 

 The passage of this channel was easiest for the carts, at the 

 spot where it joined that of the Gwydir. We travelled, after 

 crossing, along the north-western skirts of extensive open 

 plains, and thus reached, at five miles further, another line 

 of trees, enclosing a chain of ponds, on which we encamped, 

 after a journey of twelve miles. 



Jan. 12. — I continued the westerly course, through woods, 

 until at three miles we fell in with the river, and on turn- 

 ing to the left, in order to avoid its immediate banks, a 

 large lagoon also obstructed our progress. The tortuous course 

 of the river was such, that it was only by pursuing a direc- 

 tion, parallel to the general course, we could hope to make 

 sufficient progress. But in exploring the general course only 

 of rivers, the traveller must still grope his way occasionally ; 

 for here, after turning the lagoon, we again encountered the 

 river, taking such a bend southward, that we were compelled 

 to travel towards the east, and even northward of east, to 

 avoid the furrowed ground on its immediate bank. 



At length we reached an open tract, across wliich we 

 travelled in a south-west direction about eight miles, when 

 we arrived at one of those water-courses or chains, of ponds, 

 which always have the appearance of being on the highest 

 j)arts of the plains. As the general course of this, as far as 

 it could be seen, was nearly cast and west, I thought it might 

 be the same as the channel, which I had named Wheel 

 Ponds on the 7th instant ; but the range of these chains of 



