PREPARATIONS FOR A PEDESTRIAN EXCURSION.
November 7.
Making slings and packing provisions for an early start to-morrow morning occupied the greater part of the day. Mr. Bynoe, as he had done yesterday, added to his valuable collection a few rare birds, and strange plants; while I took several readings of the barometer, morning and evening, for the elevation of the bed of the river: the mean gave a resulting height of thirty feet.
Our bivouac at Reach Hopeless, was under the shade of a cluster of drooping gumtrees, which secreted in their thick foliage, numbers of a bird figured by Mr. Gould as Tripidorhynchus argenticeps. These kept up a constant amusing chatter, in which we could frequently detect an exact imitation of the words Walk Up, when spoken sharply. A kangaroo Mr. Bynoe had shot, and hung on a tree, drew the attention of birds of prey, consisting of two kinds of hawks, one of a dark brown, almost black, and another a lighter shade of the same colour, resembling copper, with a great deal of white about the head; so that we were surrounded with feathered companions.
The wind as usual was East-North-East in the morning, and North-West in the evening. The thermometer ranged from 97 to 112 degrees during the day, and fell to 90 degrees at night; during which we noticed several meteors in the north and north-west falling perpendicularly.
November 8.
Our little band left the boats before daylight, the morning being agreeably cool (temperature 85 degrees). Captain Wickham had intended heading this most interesting expedition himself, but feeling indisposed, the party was eventually placed under my command, and in addition to myself, consisted of Mr. Bynoe, surgeon; Mr. Forsyth, mate; George Knox, Robert Gower, and William Willing, seamen; John Brown, and Richard Martin, marines. Besides provisions for six days, and arms, we had with us the following instruments: large sextant, small sextant, artificial horizon, chronometer, two compasses, spyglass, watch, lantern, and measuring tape.
Our route was that of yesterday to View Hill, and we reached the river a mile to the eastward by half-past seven A.M. We halted here for ten minutes to skin a kangaroo, which I had shot as we crossed the plain; a piece of good fortune that induced me to determine upon leaving a part of our provisions at the first convenient spot. We found the banks of the river thickly clothed with tall reeds, through which with some difficulty we forced our way. To the north-west the high land receded from the river, having an extensive, and apparently alluvial flat between its base and the course of the stream.
After a brief halt, we proceeded in an East 16 degrees South direction. Two miles good walking brought us to the head of a deep gully, the banks of which were covered with tall reeds; we followed its course nearly due north to the river, which it joined near the foot of the high land I have before spoken of. The bed of the stream was dry here in patches for half a mile. As none of our party had been recently accustomed to much pedestrian exercise, and we had been travelling for nearly five hours over a broken country, and in a temperature varying from 87 to 100 degrees in the shade, I thought it time to halt and dine. While dinner was being prepared, Mr. Bynoe and myself shot three brace of rare ducks, of a small light grey kind, in the pools near. I afterwards accompanied Mr. Forsyth to get some bearings from an elevation on the north side of the river.
COURSE OF THE VICTORIA.