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Updated: May 29, 2025
Some rough sandstone cliffs were visible, distant about six miles N.E.; more to the north, a narrow line of samphire flats appeared, with cypress and stunted gums on its edges everywhere there was spinifex, and no prospect of water. Forrest turned back, and retraced his steps to where he had left his companions.
In a few miles we were in desert country undulations of sand and spinifex, with frequent clumps of dense mallee, a species of eucalyptus, with several straggling stems growing from one root, and little foliage except at the ends of the branches, an untidy and melancholy-looking tree.
They appeared to me to be much more numerous, and the valleys between them much more sandy than when we first passed over them, and were thickly covered with spinifex, although grass was also tolerably abundant in the flats. At this stage of our journey, I was the only one of the party who was not ill; Mr. Browne and all the men were suffering, added to which, the men were fairly knocked up.
As soon as the camels arrived we unloaded and set to work on the well, "soak-sucking" in our old style. By morning we had watered the camels and horses. The former were of course pretty fit, but the poor ponies had done a fair stage, especially so since they had had no feed except the rank dry tops of the spinifex.
I can imagine any one, on being suddenly placed on rising ground with a vast plain of waving spinifex spreading before him a plain relieved occasionally by the stately desert oak, solemn, white, and mysterious saying, "Ah! what a charming view how beautiful that rolling plain of grass! its level surface broken by that bold sandhill, fiery-red in the blaze of sun!"
Started at 8.20 on the same course, 22 degrees, for the range, through a country of alternate spinifex and grass with a little mulga scrub. At seven miles we struck another large gum creek with every appearance of water, but I had no time to look for it, being anxious to make the range to-night, and endeavour to find water either on this side or on the other.
The range and hills are covered with spinifex, but the valleys are beautifully grassed. We descended, and at four miles struck a creek coming from the range, and running between two low ranges towards the north-east. At seven miles changed my course to north-east to camp in the creek, and endeavour to get water for the horses before encountering the scrubby plains to-morrow morning.
In collecting the horses we came on an old native camp, and found the skull of a native, much charred, evidently the remains of one who had been eaten. Continued on about North-East along a grassy flat, and at five miles passed some clay-pans of water, after which we encountered spinifex, which continued for fifteen miles, when we got to a rocky range, covered with more spinifex.
I suppose he wanted to find his tribe again, for when we stopped we could see a smoke in the distance. We saw quite a number of spinifex rats, and though Godfrey carried a gun one way and I carried it coming home, we never bagged one, and only had one shot, which missed. Every rat got up quite 150 yards off in the most annoying way.
Continuing for six miles over clear, open sand-plains, with spinifex and large white gums the only large trees and clear country seen since leaving the settled districts we climbed up a white gum to have a view of the country eastward. Some rough sandstone cliffs bore North 127 degrees East magnetic, about six miles distant.
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