206 APPENDIX. NO. V. 
essential to trace the river, as I could not move upon its 
banks, and wishing also to ascertain where it again issued 
from the marshes, I requested Mr. Hume to proceed nor- 
therly, with a view to skirt them, and to descend westerly, 
wherever he saw an open space. He was fortunate enough 
to strike upon the channel about twelve miles north of our 
position, but was obstructed in his further progress by ano- 
ther marsh, in consequence of which he returned to the 
camp the next day ; in the mean time, I had taken the 
boat, and proceeded down the Macquarie, my way being 
at first considerably obstructed by fallen timber : clearing 
this obstacle, however, I got into a deeper channel, with 
fine broad reaches, and a depth of from twelve to fifteen 
feet water. I had a short time previously cleared all woods 
and trees, and was now in the midst of reeds of great 
height. After proceeding onwards for about eight miles 
from the place whence I started, my course was suddenly 
and unexpectedly checked ; I saw reeds before me, and 
expected I was about to turn an angle of the river, but I 
found that I had got to the end of the channel, and that 
the river itself had ceased to exist. Confounded at such 
a termination to a stream, whose appearance justified the 
expectation that it would have led me through the heart of 
the marsh to join Mr. Hume, I commenced a most minute 
examination of the place, and di.scovered two creeks, if 
they deserve the name, branching, the one to the north- 
west, and the other to the north-east ; after tracing the 
former a short distance, I reached its termination, and in 
order to assure myself that such was the case, I walked 
round the head of it by pushing through the reeds ; it 
being then too dark to continue where I was, I returned to 
