found the hills open a good deal more as I proceeded, with nice grassy
valleys between; and the hills themselves, though high and steep, were
rounded at the summits, and richly clothed with vegetation: among them
numerous watercourses took their rise in the gorges, and generally these
were well marked by gum-trees. Altogether it was a pretty and fertile
spot, and though very hilly, would do well for stock, if permanent water
could be found near. I was quite unsuccessful, however, in my search for
this, and the native boy, whom I sent in the opposite direction, after my
return, was equally unfortunate. Towards evening, one of the horses
having broken his hobbles, and got alarmed, galloped off, taking the
other with him. Tired and wet as I was, I was obliged to go after them,
and it was some miles from the camp, before I could overtake and turn
them back. Our latitude was 30 degrees 55 minutes S.

July 15.--This morning was misty and clondy, and dreadfully cold. We set
off early and commenced tracing up and examining as many of the
watercourses as we could; we did not, however, find permanent water.

Under one low ridge we met with what I took to be a small spring
emanating from a limestone rock; but it was so small as to be quite
useless to a party like mine, though the natives appeared frequently to
have resorted to it. Finding the courses of the main channel become lost
in its many branches, I ascended the dividing ridge, and crossed into the
bed of another large watercourse, in which, after travelling but a short
distance, I found a fine spring of running water among some very broken
and precipitous ranges, which rose almost perpendicularly from the
channel; in the latter, high ledges of a slaty rock stretched
occasionally quite across its bed, making it both difficult and dangerous
to get our horses along. In the vicinity of the water the grass was
tolerably good, but the declivities upon which it principally grew, were