8 
about three-quarters of a mile in width bj two miles across from the 
peak to the outer edge opposite Bartle Prere. This area consists of 
low short spurs running in all directions covered by thick vegetation 
and loose granite rocks, intersected by watercourses with beds of clean 
granite gravel. The trees are nearly all short and gnarled, and all, 
without exception, hard as bone. Many of them \\hen cut prove 
to be highly and pleasantly odoriferous. Conspicuous among the 
vegetation is a dome-topped tree with foliage so thick that not a ray of 
sunlight penetrates, and the outer top is so perfectly level that two 
men viewing each other from the summit of two of these trees appear 
exactly as if they had protruded their heads from the domes of 
two green pavilions, only the heads visible. One beholds a strange 
and beautiful sight by ascending a tree and looking over the tops of 
the others, which appear like a lovely leading colour in the tesseraic 
floor of various shades of green covering the mountain away towards 
and over the centre peak. After cutting through for half-a-mile we 
returned to the camp. 
On the 24th "Whelan started down the mountain, taking five boys 
and leaving one with us. A trooper had come with a note to say he 
was required on the head of the llussell, on account of some murders 
by the blacks. This was another cold day with drizzling rain. Sent 
the blackboy to cut a track towards the south for Mr. Broadbent to 
shoot over, and went away alone to continue the track to the centre 
peak. Every stroke with the knife brought down a shower of water 
from every shrub, as an addition to the light drizzling rain. The 
temperature was 54 degrees, with the usual wind sweeping through 
the trees, chilling the very bones. Cat within half-a-mile of the 
centre peak, and returned about 4 o'clock. Mr. Bailey and Mr. 
Broadbent had done their best collecting all day under very dis- 
heartening conditions, and Harold, too, went out daily in defiance of 
wind and rain. 
On Tuesday, the 25th, Broadbent accompanied me to the centre 
peak, which we reached about midday, and stood at last on the highest 
point of Bellenden-Ker, at 5,240 feet ; the first men, beyond all 
question, who ever put a foot on what will be shown in this report to 
be the highest land in Queensland. The centre peak runs out to the 
eastward to a sharp steep razor-back point, not fifteen yards wide, 
falling straight off on both sides. A clear and unobstructed view is 
obtained in all directions on a clear day, but on this occasion we looked 
down on nothing but a waste ocean of white cloud, about 300 feet 
below, stretching away in all directions to the horizon, all the surface 
rippled into motionless waves and unsullied by a single speck, save 
the extreme peak of Bartlo Frere, like a small black rock rising from 
a limitless milk-white sea. In the evening, when returning, the air 
was cold and clear, with a bitterly sharp wind blowing. The tempera- 
ture fell at sunset to 48 degrees. Three of the boys had arrived 
during the afternoon Avith provisions. At night the thermometer 
fell to 30 degrees, or 2 degrees of frost. This was the severest cold 
during the trip, and we felt it acutely, being unable to keep sufiiciently 
warm at night to sleep. The boys took special care to keep a con- 
tinuous fire. 
Wednesday, the 26th, was the first fine day on the summit, and 
the coldest, being only 40 degrees at noon, with the usual wind. 
After breakfast I started once more for the centre peak, taking Harold 
