OF JOURNEY UP THE DARLING. 
473 
“ I have to request that you will thank his Excellency for the 
prompt assistance he would have afforded us ; but I am sure it 
will be as gratifying to him as it is to us to know that it is not 
required. 
“ As I reported to you in my letter of the 17th of September, 
I left Lake Victoria on the following day, and crossing the 
country in a south-easterly direction, reached the Murray after a 
journey of about fifteen miles, over plains, and encamped on a 
peninsula formed by the river and a lagoon, and on which there 
was abundance of feed. We had observed numerous tracks of wild 
cattle leading from the brush across the plains to the river, and at 
night our camp was surrounded by them. I hoped, therefore, 
that if I sent out a party in the morning, I should secure two or 
three working bullocks, and I accordingly detached Mr. Poole 
and Mr. Browne, with Flood, my stockman, and Mack, to run 
them in ; but the brush was too thick, and in galloping after a 
fine bull, Flood’s carbine went off, and carried away and broke 
three of the fingers of his right hand. This unfortunate accident 
obliged me to remain stationary for a day ; but we reached the 
junction of the ana-branch of the Darling with the Murray, on 
the 23rd, and then turned for the first time to the northward. 
“ We found the ana-branch filled by the back waters of the 
Murray, and ran up it for two days, when the water in it ceased, 
and we were obliged to cross over to the Darling, which we 
struck on an east course, about eighteen miles above its junction 
with the Murray. It had scarcely any water in its bed, and no 
perceptible current — but its neighbourhood was green and grassy, 
and its whole aspect pleasing. On the 27th, we thought we 
perceived a stronger current in the river, and observed small 
sticks and grass floating on the water, and we were consequently 
led to believe that there was a fresh in it ; and as we had had 
rain, and saw that the clouds hung on the mountains behind us, 
we were in hopes the supply the river was receiving came from 
Laidley’s Ponds. On the following morning the waters of the 
Darling were half-bank high, and from an insignificant stream it 
was at once converted into a broad and noble river, sweeping 
everything away on its turbid waters at the rate of three or four 
