THE GILBERT. 
33 
fertile vale running nearly north and south, backed 
to the westward by well wooded irregular ranges 
grassed to their summits, and to the eastward shut 
in by a dark looking and more heavily timbered 
range, beyond which rose two peaks of more distant 
hills, through the centre of the valley the Light 
took its course, but at present it was only a chain of 
large ponds unconnected by any stream ; and thus, 
I believe, it remains the greater part of the year, 
although occasionally swollen to a broad and rapid 
current. 
June 24. — The horses having strayed a little this 
morning, and given us some trouble to get them, it 
was rather late when we started ; we, however, 
crossed the low ridges at the head of the Light, and 
entering upon extensive plains to the north, we 
descended to a channel, which I took to be the head 
of a watercourse called the “ Gilbert.” 
Finding here some tolerably good water and abun- 
dance of grass, I halted the party for the night, 
though we were almost wholly without firewood, 
an inconvenience that we felt considerably, as the 
nights now were very cold and frosty. Our stage 
had been fourteen miles to-day, running at first over 
low barren ridges, and then crossing rich plains of 
a loose brown soil, but very heavy for the drays to 
travel over. 
At our camp, a steep bank of the watercourse pre- 
sented an extensive geological section, but there was 
VOL. i. 
D 
