Part 43 (2/2)

ATTACK BY THE NATIVES

5th Septereat noise up the river, and while the horses were being brought in nineteen blacks came to the camp, all armed with clubs and spears They did not make any hostile demonstration, and the approach of the horses appeared to keep them in check; and a person unacquainted with the treacherous character of the Australian ht them friendly When we started at 650 am

they followed the party to the bank of the river, and began to shi+p their spears, and ere crossing a deep ravine made a rush on us with their spears poised ready to throw thee of our position; but just as their leader was in the act of throwing his spear he received a charge of sed them on horseback, and with a few shots froht, except one man, who climbed a tree, where we left him, as our object was only to procure our own safety, and that with as little injury to the blacks as possible We did not pursue our advantage; by following the fugitives Proceeding down the river a short distance, at 740 crossed to the right bank on a ledge of flat rocks It was here about 100 yards wide, with shallow reaches of water, the banks rising steep--thirty to forty feet Very little vegetation grew on the banks, which appeared to result froh tides We now steered east over level grassy plains, with patches of box and terminalia Passed a sins, who did not appear to notice us At 100 the country was covered with an open scrub of terrass At noon passed a sully with a waterhole, which our horses quite e the course to north-east, the country was covered with melaleuca scrub, with silver-leafed ironbark, triodia, and a little grass; but we soon re-entered the open plains which extended to the north, and, following a watercourse at 35 pm camped at a small muddy waterhole, on the banks of which the blacks had often encamped, as shown by the heaps of mussel-shells round their fireplaces Our route has been along the southern lirassy plains, and to the south the country rises into low ridges and stony plains, covered with scrub and triodia

Latitude by Vega 18 degrees 7at 625 ae east over a level country of very bad quality; the soil ironstone gravel, producing teroranue the country irassy At 1215 cae creek with a shallow pool of rees 9 minutes 45 seconds

7th September (Sunday)

Re south-east wind blew during the night, and the day was cool and clear; the air very dry

Repaired our saddle-bags, which, from frequent contact with rocks and dead trees, were much dilapidated

8th September

Steered east-south-east frorassy plains, with belts of box, terurass very inferior, with patches of triodia on the ridges; then traversed a level country covered with srass for two hours, after which we followed a dry watercourse, with large hollows in its bed, to the north-north-west for one hour; the shells of large unios abundant, but no water; altered the course to the east; passed two lines of box-trees crossing the plain from the south to the north, and at 550 p breeze fro the day had rendered the heat less oppressive than usual

Latitude by Vega 18 degrees 12 rees east

THE FLINDERS RIVER

9th Septe north 50 degrees east rassy plain; at 940 reached a fine river of fresh water 100 yards wide, but very shallow; pelicans, ducks, and other water-foere nurass was very inferior on the i very ments of limestone and a few quartz pebbles have been observed on the surface of the plain for the past twenty miles, and a dark limestone rock is exposed in the bed of the river, where it has horizontal stratification; fragravel of the bed of the river, which, from its position, must be the Flinders River of the charts

Latitude by a Aquilae 18 degrees 8 rees 20 ain found us in the saddle, and crossing the right bank followed it to the south-south-east till 720, when it turned to the south-south-west, and changing our course to the east, passed through a fine grassy plain for two rassed, the soil a brown loam; this continued till 230 pm, e entered a belt of terminalia, and at 10 reached a small watercourse, and ca, apparently deep and perrassy banks; this waterhole would render a great extent of the fine grassy country around available for pasturage; in passing through the box forest we observed several sleeping places which had been constructed by the blacks during the wet season; they consisted of four stakes two feet high, supporting a platfor and two and a half feet wide; three to twenty of these fraether, and were frequent till we reached the Gilbert River

Latitude by Vega 18 degrees 10 minutes 30 seconds

11th Septeh level box and terrass and brown loahty yards wide and nearly one ; beyond this was a creek with small pools of water; as it appeared to come from the south-east, we steered in that direction, but soon receded fro our course ain on the creek,close to its banks, and only a few shallow pools of water, nearly dried up, and very little grass; at 1225 poon passed in the e heaps of mussel-shells showed the spots where, from the vast accumulation, the blacks had for many centuries camped successively on the sa the bank showed that it was a favourite resort of the aboriginals The coaroos have been seen during the last few days'

journey

Latitude by Vega 18 degrees 18 minutes 5 seconds

12th Septe from the south and water very scarce in its bed, it does not appear that we have yet reached the streah land at the head of the Burdekin and Lynd rivers; it therefore appeared expedient to steer an east-north-east course till some stream-bed of sufficient size to retain water at this season can be found, and then to follow it up to the ranges where alone water can be expected to be found to enable us to steer to the south-east At an earlier season of the year, ater is abundant, it would be more desirable to ascend the Flinders, and cross from its upper branches to the head of the Clark; but under present circuhly imprudent, and no experimental deviations frorass being scanty, the horses had scattered much, and we did not leave the camp till 1020 am, e steered east-north-east A short mile from our camp passed four blacks at a pool of water; they did not observe us till we had passed, though only 100 yards distant, and the country very open Our route was through a level country, wooded with box, bloodwood, terrevillia, and broad-leafed rass The soil is a hard ironstone gravel and clay Passing several dry beds of shallow lagoons, ca from the east; at 1220 pm

camped at a shallow pool of water scarcely four inches deep Near the carassy flats, but lirass very dry The cool southerly breezes have ceased, and the north-east and westerly winds are light and very warm