112 HORN FA'PRDITIOV — NARRATIVE. 



simply tliat^ tlio task wliicli tlioy ossaycd was oiif whidi uiulcr tlio nature of the 

 fiic-unistancos could not bo successfully can-ied out. 



At one time as date palms and relics of plots of vegetables showed there iiuist 

 have b(>en a voiy good garden indeed, in fact whei'o wat(n' is available there is no 

 ditliculty in rearing vegetables, as we found by pleasant experience at Charlotte 

 Watcr.s, Ci'own Point, Ilcrmannsburg and Alice Springs. 



A little to the south of the Sta,tion across the broad \alley in which the Finkc 

 was running stretched the KricliaufV Ilange. The highest point was Mount 

 Hermann and just to the east of this the river left the plains and entered a deep 

 "orge, which runs for some forty miles south through the main James Ilaiige until 

 close to Running Waters it emerges .aiiil then runs on southwards to irascrse the 

 great Desert Sandstone Plain. 



This gorge was lirst traversed in 1S72 by (iiles, when he passed tlu'ough it 

 fr-om south to noi'th and then followed up lludall Ci'oek past Gosse Ilange and 

 away to the west beyond Carmichael Creek. 



At Hermannsburg we divided into three parties, the main camp stayed at the 

 Mission Station, Mr. Watt with Messrs. Piitchard and Pussell went out north- 

 west so as to sti'ike the Elleiy Cicek, their intention l)eing to follow this up 

 through the McDonnells and then tra\-el eastwards along the Burt Plain to Alice 

 Springs ; the rest of us, that is Messiis. Tate, Stirling, Winnecke, Pelt and myself, 

 started olT to follow down the Finke Corge to the Clen of Palms. 



Crossing o\er the plain to the KrichauiV range we enter(Hl the (Jorge and 

 followed its windings for eight or nine miles betweiui lofty clifts of i-ed sandstone, 

 which sometimes hemmed in the river bed closely, and at others receded, so that the 

 stream was bordered by .sandy baidvS covered with Cassias, Eremophila.s, Crevilleas, 

 gum trees, and Melaleuca. Side streams which had cut out smaller gorges for 

 themselves entered the main stream at intervals ;ind every now and tlien the 

 ]m] of the lattci' held fair .sized pools of water, on one of which we counted a flock 

 of si.xty-nine teal and duck. 



Some nine miles from the mission station, and just where the i-iver takes a 

 big sweep almost due east and west we came upon the (ir'st Palm ti-ee and camped 

 for the m'ght in a very pictui-es(iue spot where the rocks were broken up into 

 great red I docks piled on one another to form pinnacled masses. 



The Palm tree which was tii'st- found by Giles, in 1872, is very much like the 

 connnon cabbage-tri'e Palm of the eastern coastal district, but this species 



