BEARINGS FROM THE HILLS. 147 
lying exposed upon their summits, containing deep 
holes which receive and retain water after rains. 
The hill we were encamped under, was the highest 
of the three, and the only one under which there 
was a spring.*' There was also better grass here 
than around either of the other two ; it appeared, 
too, to be the favourite halting place of the natives, 
many of whose encampments still remained, and 
some of which appeared to have been in use not 
very long ago. The bearings from the hill we 
were under, of the other two elevations, which, with 
it, constitute the Refuge Rocks, were N. 15° W. and 
V/. 35° N. Baxter’s range was still visible in the 
distance, appearing low and wedge-shaped, with the 
high end towards the east, at a bearing of N. 24° 
E. In the western extreme it bore N. 22° E. 
Many other hills and peaks were apparent in various 
directions, to all of which I took angles, and then 
returned to the tent to observe the sun’s meridian 
altitude for latitude. By this observation, I made 
the latitude 33° IT 12" S. ; but an altitude of Altair 
at night only gave 33° 10' 6" S. ; probably the mean 
of the two, or 33° 10' 39' S., will be very nearly the 
true position of the spring. From the summit of 
the hill I had been upon, many native fires were 
visible in the scrub, in almost every direction 
around. At one time I counted eleven different 
fires from the smokes that were ascending, and some 
* This was dried up in October, 1842. 
L 2 
