Oct. 28.--During the night it was very cold, though no wind was stirring.
In the morning we experienced an easterly breeze. Travelling to the
eastward and east by south, I found that the water-holes outside of the
scrub at which we were encamped, changed into a creek with rocky bed,
having its banks partly covered with cypress-pine thickets. I crossed it
about three miles lower down, and, finding the Ironbark forest
sufficiently open, turned to the northward; scarcely three miles farther,
we came to another creek of a character similar to that of the last,
which I suppose to be one of the heads of Dogwood Creek. The blue
Brunonia was again frequent; the grass five feet high, in full ear, and
waving like a rye field. The soil, however, is sandy and rotten, and the
grass in isolated tufts. We encamped about four miles north-east from our
last camp.




CHAPTER II



PARTY REDUCED BY THE RETURN OF MR. HODGSON AND CALEB--MEET FRIENDLY
NATIVES--NATIVE TOMB--THE DAWSON--VERVAIN PLAINS--GILBERT'S RANGE--LYND'S
RANGE--ROBINSON'S CREEK--MURPHY'S LAKE--MOUNTAINOUS COUNTRY--EXPEDITION
RANGE--MOUNT NICHOLSON--ALDIS'S PEAK--THE BOYD.


Nov. 3.--For the past week, the heat was very oppressive during the day,
whilst, at night, it was often exceedingly cold; for two or three hours