ourselves. Although we had found it
impracticable to cross the ranges at the proposed point, Mr. Browne and I
had managed to scramble up the most elevated part of them. We appeared
still to be amidst broken stony hills, from which there was no visible
outlet. There was a line of gum-trees, however, in a valley to the
southwest of us, as if growing on the side of a creek that would in such
case be tributary to the main creek on which our tents were pitched, and
we hoped, by running along the base of the hills to the south and turning
into the valley, to force our way onwards. At about three and a half
miles our anticipations were verified by our arriving opposite to an
opening leading northwards into the hills. This proved to be the valley
we had noticed. A line of gum-trees marked the course of a small creek,
which passing behind a little hill at the entrance of the valley,
reappeared on the other side, and then trended to the N.W. Entering the
valley and pursuing our way up it, at two miles we crossed another small
creek, tributary to the first, and at a mile beyond halted for the night,
without having found water. Although there was a little grass on the
plains between the camp and the ranges, there was none in the valley in
which we stopped. Low bushes of rhagodia and atriplex were alone to be
seen, growing on a red, tenacious, yet somewhat sandy soil, whilst the
ranges themselves were covered with low brush.

The water had almost all leaked out of the tank when we examined it, so
that it was no longer of any service to us. On the morning of the 7th,
therefore, I sent Lewis and Sullivan with the cart back to the camp,
retaining Flood and Morgan to attend on Mr. Browne and myself.

When we started I directed them to follow up the creek, which did not
appear to continue much further, and on arriving at the head of it to
cross the range, where it was low, in the hope that they would strike the
opposite fall of waters in descending on the other side, whilst I went
with Mr. Browne to a hill from which I was anxious to take bearings,
although Lewis, who had already been on the top of it, assured me that
there was nothing new to be seen. However, we found the view to be
extensive enough to enable us to judge better of the character of the
country than from any other point on which we had yet been. It was
traversed by numerous rocky ridges, that extended both to the north and
south beyond the range of vision. Many peaks shew