Part 3 (1/2)

(ILlustRATION: THE PALM-TREE FOUND IN THE GLEN OF PALMS)

Soon after leaving the natives, we had the gratification of discovering a nificent specimen of the Fan palm, a species of Livistona, allied to one in the south of Arnheuished as the Maria Pal in the channel of the watercourse with flood drifts against its steely with the paler green foliage of the eucalyptus trees that surrounded it It was a perfectly new botanical feature to me, nor did I expect to meet it in this latitude ”But there's a wonderful power in latitude, it alters a man's e vegetation in the dry flood drifts lower down, and was on the qui vive for so new, but I did not know that This fine tree was sixty feet long, or high, in the barrel Passing the pallen, which appears to have no ter but a continuation of the range could be observed from any of the hills I ascended

It was late in the afternoon e left the palh we travelled over twenty ood froh and rocky, yet the purling of the water over its stony bed was always a delightful sound tofanned us to repose, it seeuard us while we slept and when the sun declined the swift strea Sunday, the 1st September, I made it a day of rest, for the horses at least, whose feet were getting sore from continued travel over rocks and boulders of stone I made an excursion into the hills, to endeavour to discover when and where this apparently interrandeur, picturesqueness, and variety, it was such a difficult road for the horses, that I was getting heartily tired of it; besides this, I feared this range ht be its actual source, and that I should find myself eventually blocked and stopped by ies, and that I should finally have to retreat to where I first entered it I walked and climbed over several hills, cliffs, and precipices, of red sandstone, to the west of the cath reached the suher than any other near it Its elevation was over 1000 feet above the level of the surrounding country From it I obtained a view to all points of the compass except the west, and could descry mountains, from the north-east round by north to the north-north west, at which point a very high and pointed hbourhood, over fifty miles away To the north and east of north a massive chain, with many dome-shaped summits, was visible Beloards the camp, I could see the channel of the river where it forced its way under the perpendicular sides of the hills, and at a spot not far above the camp it seemed split in two, or rather was joined by another watercourse from the northwards From the junction the course of thethe course of the tributary at about ten miles I could see an apparently open piece of country, and with the glasses there appeared a sheet of water upon it I was glad to find a break in the chain, though it was not on the line I should travel Returning to my companions, I imparted to them the result of my observations

On Monday, the 2nd, there was a heaviness in the at rain The therrees; over 4 degrees higher than at our first night's cas of the glen, we passed the northern tributary noticed yesterday, and continued on over rocks, under precipices, crossing and re-crossing the channel, and turning to all points of the compass, so that nearly three ood one Clu mostly in the river bed, and where they appear, they considerably enliven the scenery

During , I collected a great nurow in profusion in this otherwise desolate glen I was literally surrounded by fair flowers of every changing hue Why Nature should scatter such floral geion it is difficult to understand, but such a variety of lovely flowers of every kind and colour I had never hts in contrasts, for here exists a land ”where bright flowers are all scentless, and songless bright birds” The flowers alone would have inducedfound in it also so many of the stately palm trees, I have called it the Glen of Palms

Peculiar indeed, and rolen, enclosed by rocky walls, ”Where dial-like, to portion time, the pal to-day, a few slight showers fell, giving us warning in their way that heavier falls ht colen if possible before night, so heartily tired e of so continuously serpentine a track; we therefore kept pushi+ng on We saw several natives to-day, but they invariably fled to the fastnesses of their reat volumes of smoke, and their strident vociferations caused a dull and buzzing sound even when out of ear-shot The pattering of the rain-drops beca at every turn to see an opening which would free us froether caht in the palround, probably the only one in the glen, a little off fro upon it, and above the reach of any flood- a site on a watercourse, as, otherwise, in a single instant everything ht be swept to destruction We were fortunate indeed to find such a refuge, as it was large enough for the horses to graze on, and there was soood feed upon it By the ti under cover, the rain fell in earnest The tributary passed thiswas named Ellery's Creek The actual distance we travelled to-day was eighteen ht

Although the rain continued at intervals all night, no great quantity fell In thethe heavens were clear towards the south, but to the north dense nimbus clouds covered the hills and darkened the sky

Not re the camp, I took another ramble into the hills to the east of the camp, and from the first rise I sahat I was most anxious to see, that is to say, the end, or rather the beginning of the glen, which occurred at about twofrom the north-west, but clouds obscured a distant view It appeared that rainnorth of us, and we had to seek the shelter of our canvas home At midday the whole sky becaain descended heavier still was then the fall At an hour after daylight on the reatest volume fell, and continued for several hours At midday it held up sufficiently to enable etables, etc, given uetables, white hu

Although the rain lasted thirty-six hours in all, only about an inch fell It ith great pleasure that at last, on the 5th, we left the glen behind us, and in a couple of miles debouched upon a plain, which ran up to the foot of this line of ranges The horses seeain The length of this glen is considerable, as it occupies 31of it is nearly north 25 degrees west; it is the longest feature of the kind I ever traversed, being over forty , and it appeared the only pass through the range, which I na chain existed, apparently about twenty miles away This northern chain e The river now is broader than in the glen; its bed, however, is stony, and not boggy, the country level, sandy, and thinly tirass fires set alight by the natives

Travelling now upon the right bank of this stream, we cut off most of the bends, which, however, were by no len or on the south side of it Keeping near the river bank, we rass for the e, but there was abundance of it further off The river took us to the foot of the big h which it issues As we neared the new hills, we beca the waters of the river At sixthe Finke at right angles froes in that direction; a slight strea down the bed My next anxiety is to discover where this river comes from, or whether its sources are to be found in this chain The day was delightfully fine and cool, the breezes see at her instruround is soft after the late rains I said we caht I found itude 132 degrees 31', the variation 3 degrees east We shot a few ducks, which were very fat and good

ThisI took a walk into the hills to discover the best route to take next The high ranges north see east and west; theover 2000 feet above the level of the surrounding country, and, according to -point measurements, I found that at the Charlotte Waters I was 900 feet above the sea From that point up to the foot of these mountains the country had steadily risen, as we traced the Finke, over 1000 feet, so that the highest points of that range are over 4000 feet above sea level; the most southerly of the three lines is cohest tiers I think change to granite I climbed for several hours over masses of hills, but always found one just a little farther on to shut out the view At length I reached the suh round mountain in the middle tier, and a most varied and splendid panorama was spread before me, or I was spread before it

To the north was the ha valley between theh this valley from the west I could trace the course of the Finke by its tih and jumbled hills appeared, and one bluff-faced mount was more conspicuous than the rest Nearer to h which the river passes, and it appears to be the only pass through this chain I approached the precipice overlooking the gorge, and found the channel so flooded by the late rains, that it was ih it The hills which enclosed it were equally iet horses over thees appeared to run on in undiht in that direction, or a little north of it From the face of several of the hills cli, probably caused by the late rains One hill I passed over I found to be colomeration of many kinds of stone mostly rounded and s of some ancient and ocean-quenched volcano The surface of the place now more particularly e of water, so that it presented the appearance of an enormous tessellated pavenor, in Sussex, which I reh ed, would be compelled to hide its direat quantity of beautiful flowers upon the hills, of similar kinds to those collected in the Glen of Palreatly, that the day passed before I are, and I was made to remember the line, ”How noiseless falls the foot of Tiaroos and one rock wallaby, but they were too wild to allow et a shot at them When I said I walked to-day, I really started on an old favourite horse called cocky, that had carried etting h his splendid powers of endurance I soon found the hills too rough for a horse, so fixing up his bridle, I said, ”Now you stop there till I co I said, for I used frequently to talk to hi he would stay, as the other horses were all feeding within half a mile of him, there he was just as I had left him I was quite inclined to rest afteroccurred to disturb our slu strea

CHAPTER 13 FROM 6TH TO 17TH SEPTEMBER, 1872

Progress stopped

Fall back on a tributary

River flooded

A new range

Rudall's Creek

Reach the range

Grass-trees

Wild beauty of scene

Scarcity of water

A pea-like vetch

Nae

A barren spot

Water seen from it

Follow a creek channel

Other creeks join it

A confined glen

Scrubby and stony hills

Strike a gum creek

Slimy water

A pretty tree

Flies troublesoe tree

Tropic of Capricorn