NARRATIVE OF MR. CARRON. 183 



Sydney ;* the other was a dark thick fish with 

 scales. 



Sept. 10th. — Finding that the river continued 

 running- to the westward^ and not as we had hoped 

 towards Princess Charlotte's Bay, we left it and 

 turned in a northerly direction, travelMng over very 

 rocky ridges covered with cochlospermums and aca- 

 cias, interspersed with occasional patches of open 

 forest land, and strewed with isolated blocks of 

 coarse granite containing crystals of quartz and 

 laminae of white mica. Prayers as usual at eleven 

 o'clock. 



We had not seen natives for several days, but 

 this night, whilst one of the party was keeping- 

 watch, a short distance from the fire, about eleven 

 o'clock, he heard the chattering of the blacks. 

 Three spears were almost immediately thrown into 

 the camp and fell near the fire, but fortunately 

 without injuring any of the party. We fired a few 

 shots in the direction from which the spears came ; 

 the night being so dark that we could not see them. 

 We entertained fears that some of our horses might 

 be speared, as they were at some distance from the 

 camp, but fortunately the blacks offered us no 

 fiirther molestation. 



Sept. 11th and 12th. — We pursued our northern 

 course, the ground becoming very rotten j by the 

 sides of small creeks in sandy flats were belts of 

 broad-leafed Melaleucas and Grevilleas. We met 



* Plotosus macroeephalus. 



