136 Remarks on the Physical Geography, ^c, of the 



afoot; and our small stock of provisions began to fail^ without 

 being able to find any creature to sboot larger than a common 

 sparrow. We had previously shot so many native turkeys 

 that we had calculated on getting more^ but all that we saw 

 after leaving the settled country were too wild. We had now 

 fulfilled the object of our journey^ and seeing that all the 

 plains were much alike_, we thought it best to push to the 

 south, and thence back to the Lachlan before starvation over- 

 took us. Afraid that the natives might come upon our camp 

 in our absence^ we went to the north-west only five miles, ob- 

 taining a view extending about five miles beyond. It is all a 

 good sheep country, but so small are the shallow pools that 

 contain water, that without the fall of rain, with which we had 

 been favoured immediately before our visit, we could not pos- 

 sibly have gone where we did. 



Returning to our camp at noon, I resolved to spend an hour 

 or two in making a waterhole that might be of use hereafter 

 to myself or to others. Making a spade and crowbar of wood, 

 and having hardened them in the fire, in two hours and a half 

 I dug out of the solid hard ground, a hole capable of contain- 

 ing at least two tons of water, and with the material made a 

 dam across a gulley. Having finished my work I stuck up my 

 spade and crowbar with a playful injunction that they should 

 remain there till my return. 



We now went S. 10° E. for twelve miles over loose plains, 

 and others abounding with saltbush and grass, when we had 

 reluctantly to turn to a course E. 15° S., to pick up our horse 

 which had been left. The plains were now more extensive 

 than usual. To the east, west, and the south, there Avas no 

 tree, no bush, no object to serve as a landmark. On our way 

 we passed several sheets of very shallow water, lying on beds 

 of slippery white clay, and covering several acres. Far to our 

 right, after travelling about five miles, we saw the timber of 

 the large creek already mentioned, and I was thus enabled to 

 mark its course for many miles to the westward of where we 

 had crossed it. 



Next day we returned to where we had left our horse and 

 some of our saddles, and other articles, and thence pursued 

 again a southern course, over fine plains, reaching the Lachlan 

 in about sixty miles, and ten miles above Oxley's marked 

 tree, which still stands, though only portions of the letters 

 now remain. 



I fear that I have made this paper already too long, not- 

 withstanding that I have excluded much that might have been 



