into the middle of the stream, and each wielding a beater, our tiny
enemies were soon shaken off, and borne back to the shore by a refreshing
North-West breeze.

We found it necessary to keep a sharp lookout here for the alligators, as
they swarmed in dangerous numbers.

The scarcity of fish, and the shallowness of the water did not hold out
much hope that the arm we were tracing would prove of great extent; still
many speculations were hazarded on the termination of it. The temperature
in the night was down to 78 degrees, and the dew sufficiently heavy to
wet the boat's awning through.

CONTINUE EXPLORATION.

Anxious to know how far this piece of water was to carry us into the
untrodden wilds of Australia, we moved off with the first streak of dawn.
Ten miles in a South by East direction brought us to where the width and
depth was not sufficient to induce us to proceed further. Besides, as we
were then only fifteen miles from a bend of the upper part of the
Adelaide, which must receive the drainage of all that part of the
country, it seemed improbable that any other large river existed in the
neighbourhood. Six miles from our furthest, which was about thirty miles
from the entrance, we passed a small island. The banks on either side of
the inlet were, as usual, a thick grove of mangroves, except in one spot,
a mile lower down, where we landed on our return for observations. This
we found to be a low cliffy projection of slate formation, whilst
scattered over the face of the few miles of country, which we are able to
explore, were small bits of quartz; large blocks also of which protruded
occasionally through a light kind of mould.