I
should have started earlier than that day had not Mr. Poole's illness
prevented me, but as he rallied, I proceeded on my excursion, accompanied
by Mr. Browne, Flood, and another of the men. We observed several puddles
near our old camp on the main creek as we rode away, so that rain must
have fallen there though not at the Depot. After passing the little
conical hill of which I have already spoken, we traced the creek down
until we saw plains of great extent before us, and as the creek trended
to the south, skirting them on that side, we rode across them on a
bearing of 322 degrees or N.W.1/2 N. They were 7 or 8 miles in breadth,
and full 12 miles in length from east to west; their soil was rich and
grassed in many places. At the extremity of the plains was a sand hill,
close to which we again came on the creek, but without water, that which
Flood had found being a little more to the eastward. Its channel at this
place was deep, shaded, and moist, but very narrow. I was quite surprised
when we came to the creek where Flood had been to find so much water;
there was a serpentine sheet, of more than a quarter of a mile in length,
which at first sight appeared to be as permanent as that at the Depot.
The banks were high and composed of light rich alluvial soil, on which
there were many new shrubs growing; the whole vegetation seemed to be
more forward on this side of the hills than on that where the Depot was.
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