in this plain while Mr. Larmer went to Oxley's Tableland
to ascertain if the swamp there contained water. Having to take some
observations and bring up an arrear of various other matters, I could not
then visit that hill, though I wished much to do so. I found its latitude
to be 30 degrees 11 minutes 15 seconds South, and longitude 146 degrees
16 minutes 9 seconds East. The extreme lowness of the country and of the
bed of the Bogan, which was now, according to the barometer, near the
level of the sea, left little room to doubt that the Darling could be
much above that level. Mr. Larmer's report, on returning in the evening
after a ride of forty miles, was by no means in favour of Oxley's
Tableland as a place even of temporary encampment, there being no longer
any swamp containing water; on the contrary, the only water that he could
discover about the hill, after much search on and around it, was a small
spring in a hollow on the northern side. His account of the surrounding
country was equally unfavourable, for he stated that it was very brushy,
and without good grass.

NARROW ESCAPE FROM THE LOSS OF THE CATTLE.

Now it was obvious that had we, according to a suggestion sent to the
government by Captain Sturt, proceeded on the 20th of May to Oxley's
Tableland, trusting to find abundance of water, the loss of our cattle
would have been inevitable. To have reached that point we must have made
one long day's journey, and the distance thence to the nearest part of
the Bogan could not have been accomplished in another. On the third day,
the two preceding having been passed without water, the animals would
have been unable to go further.

The specimen brought from the hill by Mr. Larmer appeared to be a
quartzose conglomerate.

May 22.

I continued my journey along the Bogan, and in crossing and recrossing it
once we passed several reaches of water. The country was generally open,
and we encamped on another fine grassy plain after travelling about
twelve miles. This day, in chasing an emu, I dropped a telescope which
had been in my possession twenty-four years, having used it in the survey
of many a field of battle.

THE PARTY FOLLOWED BY A CLAMOROUS TRIBE.

May 23.

We proceeded as usual. The calls of the natives, first heard at a
distance in the woods, having become more loud and at length incessant, I
answered them in a similar tone; and having halted the carts I galloped
over a bit of clear rising-ground towards