LAGOONS NEAR THE RIVER.

In the meantime I rode northward towards the river accompanied by Mr. White and, at about a mile from the tents, we found one of the lagoons which are supplied by its floods.  The margin was thickly imprinted with the marks of small naked feet, in all probability those of the gins and children whose most constant food, in these parts, appeared to be a large, freshwater mussel.  We next traced the course of the river westward for about five miles, being guided by the line of river trees.  When we arrived we found within them a still lagoon of deep water, the banks thereof being steep like a river, and enclosing the water within a very tortuous canal, or channel, which I had no doubt belonged to the river.  To the southward the whole country was clear of wood, and presented one general slope towards the line of the river.

From our camp on the plain Mount Riddell bore 123 degrees 30 minutes
East.

THE SURFACE AGAIN HARDENED.

January 14.

After an unusually hot night the morning broke amid thunderclouds which threatened, by another shower, to destroy our hopes of advancing this day and the next at least.  Nevertheless, we lost no time in yoking the cattle and proceeding:  for the heat and drought of the previous day had already formed a crust upon which the animals could travel.  Meanwhile the thunder roared, and heavy showers were to be seen falling in two directions.  One rain-cloud in the north-east, whence the wind blew strong, nearly overtook us; while another in the south-west exhausted itself on the Nundewar range.  But as the wind increased the storm-clouds sank rapidly towards the part of the horizon whence it came, until the beams of the ascending sun at length overwhelmed them with a glorious flood of light, and introduced a day of brilliant sunshine.

EXCURSION NORTHWARD.

We traversed, as rapidly as we could, these precarious plains, keeping the woods which enveloped the Gwydir on our right:  and thus, at the end of twelve miles, we arrived on the banks of a lagoon, apparently a continuation of the line of ponds or river, which had proved such a providential relief to us after our severe suffering from want of water under Mount Frazer.

REACH A BROAD SHEET OF WATER.

Here however we found a broad and extensive lagoon nearly level with its banks and covered with ducks.  It had the winding character and uniformity of width of a river, but no current.  I thought this reach might also contain some surplus water of the Namoi, which could not be far distant for we had now reached those low levels to which we had previously traced the course of that river.  We travelled along the bank of this fine piece of water for two miles, and found its breadth to be very uniform.  An arm trending northward then lay in our way.  The country was full of holes and deep rents or cracks, but the soil was loose, and bare as a new-ploughed field.  I therefore withdrew the carts to where we first came on the lagoon; not only for the sake of grass, but that we might continue our route over the firmer ground which appeared to the eastward.