After a very tedious search we discovered a sort of pass leading diagonally down the face of the precipice; but before attempting to take the ponies over this it was necessary to move many large rocks and stones, to cut down trees, and otherwise make it practicable for them. All hands however set cheerfully to work, and by 1 P.M. the whole party had safely reached the bottom of the precipice. The valley that we were in was very fertile but, from the incessant rain which had lately fallen, the centre part of it had become an impassable swamp, and we were thus once more obliged to turn to the northward in order to travel round it: but as rest and food were necessary both for horses and men we halted at the foot of the sandstone range for breakfast.
REMARKABLE FRILLED LIZARD. BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY.
As we were pursuing our route in the afternoon we fell in with a specimen of the remarkable frilled lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii); this animal measures about twenty-four inches from the tip of the nose to the point of its tail, and lives principally in trees, although it can run very swiftly along the ground: when not provoked or disturbed it moves quietly about, with its frill lying back in plaits upon the body: but it is very irascible and, directly it is frightened, elevates the frill or ruff and makes for a tree; where if overtaken it throws itself upon its stern, raising its head and chest as high as it can upon the forelegs, then doubling its tail underneath the body and displaying a very formidable set of teeth. From the concavity of its large frill it boldly faces any opponent, biting fiercely whatever is presented to it, and even venturing so far in its rage as to fairly make a fierce charge at its enemy. We repeatedly tried the courage of this lizard, and it certainly fought bravely whenever attacked. From the animal making so much use of this frill as a covering and means of defence for its body this is most probably one of the uses to which nature intended the appendage should be applied.
We at length reached the watershed connecting the country we had left with that we were entering upon, and were now again enabled to turn to the eastward and thus to travel round the swamp. This watershed consisted principally of a range of elevated hills from which streams were thrown off to the Glenelg and to Prince Regent's River. The scenery here was very fine, but I have so often before described the same character of landscape that it will be sufficient to say we again looked down from high land on a very fertile country, covered with a tropical vegetation and lying between two navigable rivers. I can compare this to no other Australian scenery, for I have met with nothing in the other portions of the continent which at all resembles it. When we had nearly headed the valley the night closed in so rapidly on us that I was obliged to halt the party; and by the time the arrangements for security and rest were completed it was quite dark.
CURIOUS NEST.
March 24.
This morning we started as soon as it was light and, continuing our route round the valley, passed the beautiful cascade seen yesterday and, after fording a clear running brook like an English trout stream, we began to ascend the next sandstone range. On gaining the summit we fell in with a very remarkable nest, or what appeared to me to be such, and which I shall describe more particularly when I advert to the natural history of this part of the country. We had previously seen several of them, and they had always afforded us food for conjecture as to the agent and purpose of such singular structures.
DEEP VALLEY.
Soon after quitting this nest we found a very convenient pass through a deep and fertile valley, which led directly up into the heart of the sandstone range; a fine stream ran through it in which were several large reservoirs of fresh water; the hills on each side were lofty, being at times of a rounded character, and at others broken into precipitous and fantastic cliffs; the country was thinly wooded with large timber, and the varied scenery, the facility which the country afforded for travelling, and the pleasure incident on finding ourselves clear of the marshy ground which had so long encumbered our movements, combined to make me push along as fast as possible; the only check was the heat of the sun; and it should always be borne in mind that no parallel whatever can be instituted between travels in tropical and extra-tropical Australia, for in the former the more exhausting nature of the climate unfits both men and horses for making long journeys, and indeed renders it almost impossible to travel during the heat of the day, whilst the difficult nature of the ground caused by the dense vegetation, the jungles, the ravines, and marshes, render it altogether impracticable to move at night through an unknown country.
WILD OATS.