44 
travelling down the RIVER. 
that I had traversed during the first expedition. Acacia 
pendula now made its appearance on several plains beyond 
le rivei deposits, as well as that salsolaceous class of plants 
among which the schlerolina and rhagodia are so remark- 
able. The natives left us at sunset, but returned early in 
the morning with an extremely facetious and good-humoured 
old man, who volunteered to act as our guide without the 
least hesitation. There was a cheerfulness in his manner, 
that gained our confidence at once, and rendered him a ge- 
neral favourite. He went in front with the dogs, and led 
us a little away from the river to kill kangaroos, as he said. 
At about two miles we struck on an inconsiderable elevation, 
which the party crossed at the S. W. extremity. I as- 
cended it at the opposite end, but although the view was 
extensive, I could not make out the little hill 0 f granite 
from which I had taken my former bearings, and the only 
elevation I could recognise, as connected with them, was one 
about ten miles distant, bearing S. 168 W. I could observe 
very distant ranges to the E. N. E. and immediately below 
me in that direction, there was a large clear plain, skirted 
by acacia pendula, stretching from S.S.E. to N.N.W. The 
crown and ridges of the hill on which I stood, were barren 
stony, and covered with beef-wood, the rock-formation 
being a coarse granite. The drays had got so far a-head 
of me that I did not overtake them before they had halted 
on the river at a distance of ten miles. 
The Morumbidgee appeared, on examination, to have in- 
creased in breadth, and continued to rise gradually. It ; s 
