42 TRAVELLING DOWN THE RIVER. 
crossed several plains on which vegetation was scanty, pro- 
bably owing to the hardness of the soil, which was a stiff 
loamy clay, and which must check the growth of plants? 
by preventing the roots from striking freely into it. The 
river where we stopped for the night appeared to have risen 
considerably, and the fish were rolling about on the surface 
of the water with a noise like porpoises. No elevations 
were visible, so that I had not an opportunity of continuing 
the chain of survey with the points I had previously taken. 
As we proceeded down the river on the 8th, the flats be- 
came still more extensive than they had ever been, and 
might almost be denominated plains. Vegetation was 
scanty upon them, although the soil was of the first quality. 
About nine miles from our camp, we struck on a small iso- 
lated hill, that could scarcely have been of200 feet elevation ; 
yet, depressed as it was, the view from its summit was very 
extensive, and I was surprised to find that we were still in 
some measure surrounded by high lands, of which I took 
the following bearings, connected with the present ones. 
A High Peak N. 66 E. distance 40 miles. 
Ken gal N. 110E. distant. 
Double Hill S. 10 W. distant. 
To the north, there were several fires burning, which ap- 
peared rather the fires of natives, than conflagrations, and as 
the river had made a bend to the N. N. W., I doubted not 
that they were upon its banks. From this hill, which was 
of compact granite, we struck away to the W. N. W., and 
shortly afterwards crossed some remarkable sand-hills 
