stony and timbered with iron-bark and box. Now, since leaving the
Einasleih they had not seen a single box or iron-bark tree, or a
stone. Frank Jardine therefore determined to push out to thenorth-east,
and again seek this seemingly apocryphal stream. After travelling
for eight miles through sandy ridges, scrubby and timbered with
blood-wood, messmate, and melaleuca (upright-leaved) they struck a
sandy creek, bearing north; this they followed for five miles, when
it turned due west, as if a tributary of the stream they had left in
the morning. Having seen no water since then, it was out of the
question to attempt bringing the cattle across at this point. It was
determined therefore that they should return and mark a line from the
Einasleih to the lagoons they had camped on last night, along which
cattle could travel slowly, whilst the brothers again went forward to
look for a better road from that point, and ascertain definitely
whether they were on the Lynd or not. Turning west they travelled 28
miles to the creek they had left in the morning, striking it more
than 40 miles below their camp, when, to their surprise it was found
running nearly due south and still dry. Here they camped and caught
some fish and maramies (cray-fish) by puddling a hole in the creek,
which, with three pigeons they shot, made a good supper. At night a
heavy thunder-storm broke over them, which lasted from 9 till 12.
Frank Jardine here states himself to have been exceedingly puzzled
between Leichhardt and Mr. Richardson; one or the other of these he
felt must be wrong. Leichhardt describes the stream in that latitude
(page 283 Journal) as stony, and with conical hills of porphyry near
the river banks, "Bergues" running into it on each side. They had
not seen a rise even, in any direction for miles, whilst the creek
presented only occasional rocks of flat water-worn sandstone, and the
screw-palm 'Pandanus Spiralis' occurred in all the water-courses, a
tree that from its peculiarity would scarcely have been unnoticed or