146 
WILD MELON. 
ascertain whence it originated. To return to Mount Harris, 
by retracing our steps up the Castlereagh, would have en- 
tailed the severest distress upon us ; we the rather pre- 
ferred proceeding up this creek, and taking our chance for a 
supply of water. We therefore crossed Morrisett’s chain of 
ponds, and encamped in the angle formed by the junction 
of the two creeks. 
Before we left this position, we were visited by a party of 
natives, twelve in number, but not of the Darling tribe. 
They accompanied us a short way, and then struck off to 
the right. At about a mile and a half, we crossed Mr. 
Hume’s track, leading westerly, which still remained ob- 
servable. The creek was, no doubt, the hollow he stated 
that he crossed on that excursion, and its appearance cer- 
tainly justified his opinion of it. Its bed was choaked up 
with bulrushes or the polygonum, and its banks were level 
with the country on either side, or nearly so. We passed over 
extremely rich soil the whole day, on a S. W. and by W. 
course, though the timber upon it was dwarfish, and prin- 
cipally of the rough-gum kind. 
On the 2d of April, we stopped in order to make some 
repairs upon the dray ; the wheels of which had failed us. 
Clayton put in four new spokes, and we heated the tyres 
over again, by which means we got it once more serviceable. 
The soil in the creek was of the richest quality, and was 
found to produce a dwarf melon, having all the habits and 
character of the cucumber. The fruit was not larger than a 
pigeon’s egg, but was extremely sweet. There were not. 
