OF THE CASTLEKEAGH. 
123 
had many back channels, as large as the main one, serving 
to overflow the neighbouring country. We succeeded 
in finding a small pond of water in one of the former, 
hardly large enough to supply our necessities, but as it 
enabled us to push so much further on, we turned 
towards the lagoon, making a circuitous journey to the 
right, across a large plain, bounded to the north by low 
acacia brush and box. We struck upon a creek at the 
turther extremity of the plain, in which there was a tolera- 
bly sized pond. It appeared from the traces of men, that 
some natives had been there the day before ; but we did 
not see any of them. The water was extremely muddy 
and unfit for use. The lagoon at which we had em- 
camped, was of less importance than we had imagined. 
Whilst Mr. Hume led the party down the river, I rode 
up its northward bank, to examine it more closely. I found 
it to be a serpentine sheet of about three miles in. length, 
gradually decreasing in depth until it separated into two 
small creeks. In following one of them up, I observed 
that they re-united at the distance of about two miles, and 
that the lagoon was filled from the eastward, and not by 
the river as I had at first supposed. The waters at the 
head of the lagoon were putrid, nor was there a fish in, or 
a wild fowl upon it. The only bird we saw was a beauti- 
ful eagle, of the osprey kind, with plumage like a sea gull, 
which had a nest in the tree over the tents. 
In turning to overtake the party I rode through a great 
deal of acacia scrub, and on arriving at the place at which 
