It was no easy matter now to ascertain in what direction the waters of the valley ran, but by the tendency of the hollows on each side they appeared to decline in general to the left or northward.  In proceeding on our route, the heads of other similar ravines rendered our course very intricate:  to have been shut in between any such ravine and the river must have been rather embarrassing, and seemed then almost inevitable.  We had the good fortune however to avoid this; and at length, keeping along dry ground, a beautiful scene appeared on the left in an open valley about two miles in width where the hills sloped gradually to the confluence of two streams, brimful of water, which shone through some highly ornamental wood.  Both streams came from valleys of a similar character; and beyond them I saw hills of the finest forms, all clothed with grass to their summits and many entirely clear of timber.

PIGEON PONDS.

A bronze-winged pigeon flew up just as I discovered the stream and, as this bird had not been before seen by us on that side of the mountains, I named the waters Pigeon ponds. we descended to that part of the valley which lay in our proposed course and found that some of these ponds rather deserved to be styled lakes.  The soil was everywhere black and rich.

SOFT SOIL AGAIN IMPEDES THE PARTY.

August 4.

Proceeding over ground of a similar character we crossed several fine streams, some flowing in shallow channels over rocks, others in deep ravines.  The ground on the higher parts was however still so soft as to yield to the wheels, and very much impeded the progress of the party, especially at one place where an extensive lake, full of reeds or rushes, appeared to the right.  The drays sunk to the axles, the whole of the soil in our way having become so liquid that it rolled in waves around the struggling bullocks.  The passage of some of the streams could not be accomplished until we had filled up the bed with large logs, covered them with boughs, and strewed over the whole, the earth cut away from the steep banks.  Under such circumstances I considered six miles a good day’s journey, and indeed too much for the cattle.  I halted for the night with a small advanced party only on a fine little stream running over a rocky bed; while the main body was compelled to remain with the carts several miles behind, having broken, in the efforts made to extricate the carts and boat-carriage, many of the chains, and also a shaft.  The small river I had reached ran in a bed of little width, but was withal so deep that it seemed scarcely passable without a bridge.  At the junction however of a similar one, some rocks, favourably situated, enabled us to effect a passage by bedding logs between them and covering the whole with branches and earth, leaving room for the water to pass between.

HALT TO REPAIR THE CARTS AND HARNESS.

August 5.