LEAVE THE CREEK. 
75 
descending from these hills,* which were scattered over with 
fragments of slaty quartz, we traversed a box flat, appa- 
rently subject to overflow, having a barren sandy scrub 
to its left. I had desired the men to preserve a W. N. W. 
direction, on leaving them, supposing that that course 
would have kept them near the creek ; but, on overtaking 
the party, I found that they had wandered completely away 
from it. The fact was, that the creek had taken a sudden 
bend to the eastward of N. and had thus thrown them out. 
It was with some difficulty that we regained it before sun- 
set 5 and we were at length obliged to stop for the night at 
a small plain, about a quarter of a mile short of it, but we 
had the satisfaction of having excellent feed for the animals. 
Fearful that New Year’s Creek would take us too far to 
the eastward, and being anxious to keep westward as much 
as possible, it struck me that we could not, under existing 
circumstances, do better than make for Oxley’s Table Land. 
Water, I knew, we should find in a swamp at it’s base, and 
we might discover some more encouraging feature than I 
had observed on my hasty visit to it. We left the creek, 
therefore on the 23d, and once more took up a westerly 
course. Passing through a generally open country, we 
stopped at noon to rest the animals ; and afterwards got on 
an excellent grazing forest track, which continued to the 
brush, through another part of which I had penetrated to 
the marsh more to the south. While making our way 
through it, we came upon a small pond of water, and must 
^ Called the Pink Hills, from the colour of a flower found upon them. 
