130 
examination of creeks 
imagine, that we should help ourselves ; but I would not 
permit any of their weapons to be touched. 
Pursuing our journey, we reached another creek., at about 
five miles, similar to the last in appearance and size, and 
we crossed it repeatedly during the afternoon. We had 
been induced to keep along a native path in the hope that 
it would have led us to the river by a short cut; but it 
eventually led us to this creek, and away from the Castle- 
reagh ; for, notwithstanding that we subsequently changed 
our course to the S. W., we failed, as we supposed, again 
to strike upon the latter, and were obliged to stop for the 
night on the banks of what appeared to be a third large 
dry creek, which we intersected nearly at right angles. 
We travelled through a good deal of brush during the 
day, nor did the country change from the miserable and 
barren character it had assumed for the last thirty or forty 
miles. The Castlereagh had so frequently changed, that 
both Mr. Hume and myself were puzzled as to the identity 
of the creek upon which we had halted. We searched its 
bed in vain for water, although it was most capacious. 
Under an impression that the river was still to the south, 
and that we were at a point to which many watercourses 
from the high lands tended, I crossed the creek early in the 
morning, and held a S. W. course, over an open forest 
country. At about eight miles, we came upon a large space 
over-run by the polygonum junceum, a certain indication of 
flooded ground, and of our consequent proximity to some 
stream. Accordingly, after pushing through it, we struck 
