from
that recently seen upon the river. It was still on our right, and ran in
a deep, well-marked channel. I pursued a N.W. course, although the range
I had seen yesterday lay across it. I thus came upon the bed of a large
river from the south, very near where our little river joined it. This
new river was there fully 100 yards broad, with a sandy bed. I hastened
across it, and proceeded still N.W. In the bed, just above the junction
of the two rivers, I found a large podded pea, the seed both in green
pods and dry pods, was very sweet and edible. The pods were larger than
those of Turkey beans, and contained each ten or eleven peas (Dr. L.?)
Beyond the last found river, we travelled over open forest land,
occasionally passing patches of rosewood scrub on the left. When we might
again see water was rather a desperate thought, for we had witnessed our
abundant little river, wholly absorbed in a deep mass of dry sand, for
such was the bed of the larger. At length we came upon a very spacious
dry lagoon. Following this, as it appeared to be the channel of large
floods from the river, we arrived at a part containing water, and, still
continuing along the hard dry bank, another and another pond appeared,
and I finally encamped near the last, where I saw some good grass. The
course and character of the river below the junction last mentioned,
remained to be ascertained. Parts of the surface in the scrub, which,
before the rain, had been quite bare, now presented a crop of lichen,
which bore some resemblance to the orchilla. It might have been gathered
in any quantity. The ant-hills in this region, presented a different form
from any to be seen in the south, consisting of slender cones of hard
clay about the size and shape of sugar-loaves on an average, many being
larger, or as much as 31/2 feet high, others smaller. In some places they
were so numerous, as to be rather inconvenient to ride amongst,
especially where the grass was long. Latitude of this camp, 22 deg. 44' 45".
Thermometer, at sunrise, 52 deg.; at noon, 70 deg.; at 4 P.M., 69 deg.; at 9, 43 deg..
(LXIII.)

1ST AUGUST.--Supposing that this line of lagoons led to the river, I
followed that direction westward, until it disappeared where we came upon
the water brigalow. Then, turning northward, I travelled many miles in
that direction, through rosewood scrubs, and over ground where the very
coarse hard grass grew on red sand. The callitris and casuarina appeared
amo