DIFFICULTIES AT THE RAPIDS. 197 
turbid waters of its tributary was as distinctly marked as 
if drawn by a pencil. Indeed, the higher we advanced, 
the more did we feel the strength of the current, against 
which we had to pull. 
A little below the Lindesay, a rapid occurs. It was with 
the utmost difficulty that we stemmed it with the four oars 
upon the boat, and the exertion of our whole strength. We 
remained, at one time, perfectly stationary, the force we 
employed and that of the current being equal. We at length 
ran up the stream obliquely ; but it was evident the men 
were not adequate to such exertion for any length of time. 
We pulled that day for eleven successive hours, in order to 
avoid a tribe of natives who followed us. Hopkinson and 
Fraser fell asleep at their oars, and even the heavy Clayton 
appeared to labour. 
We again occupied our camp under the first remarkable 
cliffs of the Murray, a description of which has been given in 
page 128 of this work. Their summit, as I have already 
remarked forms a table land of some elevation. From it the 
distant interior to the S.S.E. appears very depressed ; that 
to the north undulates more. In neither quarter, however, 
does any bright foliage meet the eye, to tell that a better 
soil is under it; but a dark, and gloomy vegetation occu- 
pies both the near and distant ground, in proof that the 
sandy sterile tracts, succeeding the river deposits, stretch 
far away without a change. 
A little above our camp of the 26th of January, we fell 
m with a large tribe of natives, whose anxiety to detain us 
