In order to lighten the carts as much as possible I caused the packsaddles to be placed on the spare bullocks, and various articles carried upon them; thus lightening to less than eight hundredweight each the loads of two of the heavy carts which had narrow wheels and sunk most in the ground.  The old cover of the boat carriage was also laid aside, and in its place some tarpaulins which had previously added to the loads were laid across our remaining boat.  A heavy jack used to raise cartwheels was also left at this camp, and some iron bars that had been taken from the boat-carriage when it was shortened.  Thus lightened we proceeded once more into the fields of mud, taking a northerly direction.  For several miles we encountered worse ground than we had ever crossed before yet the carts came over it; but broad swamps still lay before us.

SWAMPS HARDER THAN THE GROUND AROUND THEM.

Despairing at length of being able to avoid them, I impatiently galloped my horse into one and the carts followed, thanks to my impatience for once, for I do not think that I should otherwise have discovered that a swamp so uninviting could possibly have borne my horse, and still less the carts.  After this I ventured to pursue a less circuitous route.

AGAIN REACH THE GOOD COUNTRY.

About that time a yellow flower in the grass caught my eye and, remembering that we had seen none of these golden flowers since we left the beautiful valley of the Wannon, I ventured to hope that we were at length approaching the good country at the head of that stream.  Such was my anxious wish when I perceived through the trees a glimpse of an open grassy country, and immediately entered a fine clear valley with a lively little stream flowing westward through it and which I named the Grange.  This was indeed one of the heads of the Wannon and we had at length reached the good country.  The contrast between it and that from which we had emerged was obvious to all; even to the natives who for the first time painted themselves in the evening and danced a spirited corrobory on the occasion.  This day Piper had seen two of the native inhabitants and had endeavoured to persuade them to come to me, but all to no purpose until at length, enraged at the unreasonable timidity of one of them, he threw his tomahawk at him and nearly hit him as he edged off; an act of which, as I told him in the strongest terms, I very much disapproved.

September 12.

The course of the little stream being to the northward, I proceeded along its right bank this morning until it turned to the north-west; but we soon after came to another to which the former seemed to be but a tributary.  Its course was almost due west, and the valley in which it flowed was deep and boldly escarped.  The stream thundered along with considerable rapidity over a rocky bottom consisting of the same sort of trap or ancient lava.  I had little doubt that this was the principal head of the Wannon, a