NATIVES THEIR SUFFERINGS FROM GOLD. 
31 
valley that wound between successive mountain ranges. 
More to the eastward, both mountain and woodland bore a 
dark and gloomy shade, probably in consequence of the 
light upon them at the time. Those lofty peaks that had 
borne nearly south of us from Pouni, near Yass, now 
rose over the last- mentioned ranges, and by their ap- 
pearance seemed evidently to belong to a high and rugged 
chain. To the westward, the decline of country was more 
observable than ever; and the hills on both sides of the river, 
were lower and more distant from it. Those upon which 
we found ourselves were composed of iron-stone, were pre- 
cipitous towards the river in many places, of sandy soil, 
and were crowned with beef-wood as well as box. The 
change in the rock-formation and in the soil, produced a 
corresponding change in the vegetation. The timber was 
not so large as it had been, neither did the hills any 
longer bear the green appearance which had distinguished 
those we had passed to their very summits. The grass 
here grew in tufts amidst the sand, and was of a burnt 
appearance as if it had suffered from drought. 
Some natives had joined us in the morning, and acted as 
our guides; or it is more than probable that we should 
have continued our course along the river, and got em- 
barrassed among impediments that were visible from our 
elevated position ; for it was evident that the range we 
had ascended terminated in an abrupt precipice on the 
river, that we could not have passed. The blacks suffered 
beyond what I could have imagined, fiom cold, and 
