mp the fishing-lines were put into requisition, but
without success. It is remarkable, that on reaching the salt water,
not far from this spot, Leichhardt was similarly disappointed, after
having counted on catching and curing a good quantity of fish, the
whole day's work of Brown and Murphy being "a small siluus, one
mullet, and some guard-fish," 'qu.' gar-fish.

'December' 3.--To-day's stage was a short one, and was hoped to have
been the last on this miserable river, which was now looked upon as
undoubtedly the Staaten. It had in some measure improved. The
timber was much larger and finer, and the lagoons extensive and deep.
But a heavy storm which came down, and compelled them to camp early,
soon proved what the country would be in the wet season. With this
one heavy fall of rain it became so boggy that the horses sank in up
to their girths. Hitherto the grass had been so scanty that the
party could not halt for a day to kill. They had consequently been
four days without meat. It was determined, therefore, to stop and
kill a beast, preparatory to a start north, the feed having slightly
improved in common with the timber. In addition to the steer that
was slaughtered, a shovel-nosed shark was caught and jerked in like
manner with the beef. In the afternoon Alexander Jardine explored
down the river for seven miles, seeking for a good spot for turning
off. The country still improved: the river was completely salt, and
in one continuous sheet of running water, in two channels 300 or 400
yards in width, and together about half-a-mile at the spot where he
turned back. Here it was flat and shallow, and fordable at low
water. Mangroves and salt-water creeks commenced as described by
Leichhardt,* and alligator tracks were seen. (Camp XXXV.) Latitude
16 degrees 26 minutes 39 seconds.

[footnote] *See Journal, page 320. It was at this point that he
threw away his horse-shoes and other heavy articles.

'December' 4.--The beef, shark, and a few cat-fish were jerked, and
all the stores and loading spread out and re-distributed on the
packs, and as this put the camp into some confusion, the Leader
thought it well to shift it for a few miles, to let the packs shake
into place before the final start. They therefore moved down three
miles to the commencement of the mangroves, into a patch of the best
feed they had seen since they left the Einasleih. At this point the
banks were very soft and sandy, growing spinif