ey of fifteen miles. Some flats crossed by the party this day
appeared to be subject to inundations. One gully only had impeded our
carts. It was about a mile short of the encampment, and it was called
Goora by the natives. It had evidently been long dry, had steep banks,
and its bottom consisted of gravel and sand. The banks of the Peel, thus
far, are composed chiefly of extensive flats of good land, thinly wooded,
and occasionally flooded by the river.

Only a few of the flats however are quite clear of trees, but where the
ground is open, the soil appears to be rich, and presents the same
characters which I noticed elsewhere. We saw a numerous family of
kangaroos this day, but although the dogs were let loose, such was the
length of the grass, that they could not see the game. The morning had
been clear, but the sky in the afternoon was overcast by a thunderstorm,
with a strong gale of wind. At sunset, the weather cleared up, and the
sky became again serene.

December 14.

The sun rose clear, and the party were in motion at seven o'clock. This
day I discovered that the native had sent back his gin early in the
morning, a circumstance which I regretted, for the woman had an
intelligent countenance, and having been brought from the country towards
which we were travelling, she might have been of service to us.

KANGAROO SHOT.

When we had proceeded a few miles, the quick eye of Mr. Brown
distinguished the head of a kangaroo peeping at us over the long grass.
On discharging my rifle at it, the animal, as he supposed, bounded off;
but as I had taken very steady aim, I ran to the spot, and there found,
to the astonishment of our guide, the kangaroo at which I had aimed lying
dead, the ball having passed through the throat and neck. The kangaroo
which leapt about on the discharge of the piece, was another which had
not been previously in sight, and appeared to have been the mate of that
which fell. The distance was considerable, and the shot fortunate, as
being well calculated to strengthen Mr. Brown's confidence, who had only
seen previously the heavy old muskets carried by stockmen. He surveyed
with great attention the percussion lock and heavier barrel of the rifle,
surprised, no doubt, at its superior make and accuracy.

Our course was still westward, and thus we occasionally touched upon the
bends of the river. Adjacent to one sharp angle, we met with a rather
singular formation of little hills formed by project