92 
ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY, 
vent was stronger, and it was fed by numerous springs. 
Rocks, however, were more frequent in its bed, and in two 
places almost formed a barrier across the channel, leaving 
but a narrow space for the boats to go down. We passed 
several elevations of from 70 to 90 feet in height, at the base 
of which the stream swept along. The soil of these eleva- 
tions was a mixture of clay (marl) and sand, upon coarse 
sandstone. Their appearance and the manner in which 
they had been acted upon by water, was singular, and 
afforded a proof of the violence of the rains in this part of the 
interior. From the highest of these, I observed that the 
country to the S.E. was gently undulated, and so far changed 
in character from that through which we had been tra- 
velling ; still, however, it was covered with a low scrub, and 
was barren and unpromising. 
About noon of the 18th, we surprised two women at the 
water-side, who immediately retreated into the brush. 
Shortly after, four men shewed themselves, and followed us 
for a short distance, but hid themselves upon our landing. 
The country still appeared undulated to the S.E. ; the soil 
was sandy, and cypresses more abundant than any other 
tree. We passed several extensive sand-banks in the river, 
of unusual size and solidity, an evident proof of the sandy 
nature of the interior generally. The vast accumulations 
of sand at the junctions of every creek were particularly 
remarkable. The timber on the alluvial flats was not by any 
means so large as we had hitherto observed it ; nor were the 
flats themselves so extensive as they are on the Morum- 
