CH. III.] VIEW TOWARDS MOUNT GRANARD. 197 



course to 300° from north, and, after travelling about three 

 miles in that direction, I descried a goodly hill on my left, 

 and soon after several others, one of which was bare of trees 

 on the summit. After so long a journey, over unvarying 

 flats, we had at length come rather unawares, as it seemed, 

 into a hilly country, the heights of which were bold, rocky, 

 and of considerable elevation. I should estimate the summit 

 of that which we ascended, was 730 feet above the lower 

 country at its base. The dry creek, which had led us towards 

 these hills, from such a distance northward, had vanished 

 through them somewhere to our left ; and, bold as the range 

 was, still we could see no better promise of water, than what 

 this seemed to afford. 



The summit, up Avhich we forced our horses over very 

 sharp rocks, commanded a most extensive and magnificent 

 view of hills, both eastward and westward. The country 

 in the north, whence we had come, was, nevertheless, higher, 

 althoug-h the horizon there was unbroken. Southward, the 

 general line of horizon was a low level, on which the hills 

 terminated, as if it had been the sea. There, I had no doubt, 

 flowed the river Lachlan, and, probably, one of the highest 

 of the hills, was Mount Granard of Oxley. Towards the east, 

 the most elevated hill bore 142° 30' from N., and was at a 

 distance of about 1 2 miles. It was a remarkable mass of 

 yellow rock, naked and herbless, as if nature there had not 

 yet finished her work. That hill had an isolated appear- 

 ance ; others to the westward were pointed, and smoke arose 

 from almost every summit, even from the highest part of the 

 mass on which we stood. Some sharp-edged rocks prevented 

 us from riding to where the smoke appeared, and I was too 

 lame to go on foot. No natives were visible, and I could 

 not comprehend, what they could be all about on the various 

 rugged summits whence smoke arose; as these people rather 

 frequent vallies, and the vicinity of ponds of water. The re- 

 gion I now overlooked, was beautifully diversified with hill 

 and dale, still I could not discover much promise of water ; 



