We gradually rose
somewhat from the general level, and crossed several sand hills, higher
than any we had seen. These sand hills had very precipitous sides and
broken summits, and being of a bright red colour, they looked in the
distance like long lines of dead brick walls, being perfectly bare, or
sparingly covered with spinifex at the base. They succeeded each other so
rapidly, that it was like crossing the tops of houses in some street; but
they were much steeper to the eastward than to the westward, and
successive gales appeared to have lowered them, and in some measure to
have filled up the intervening flats with the sand from their summits.
The basis of the country was sandstone, on which clay rested in a thin
layer, and on this clay the sandy ridges reposed.
We overtook Mr. Browne about half an hour before sunset, and all halted
together, when the men had completed their tenth mile.
On the 1st of August we did not find the country so heavy or so wet as it
had been. It was indeed so open and denuded of every thing like a tree or
bush, that we had some difficulty in finding wood to boil our tea. In the
afternoon when we halted the men had chained 46 miles on the new bearing,
but as yet we could not see any range or hill to the westward.
About two hours before we halted Mr. Browne and I surprised some natives
on the top of a sand hill, two of them saw us approaching and ran away,
the third could not make his escape before we were upon him, but he was
dreadfully alarmed.
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