It was however cheering to me to see how constantly some of the men had laboured at forming the road down the valleys which led into the ravine.  The horses had been brought down thus far; but three more of them had died, so that our twenty-six ponies were reduced to nineteen, many of whom were in wretched condition.

Continued difficulties of route.

February 8.

We again resumed our journey towards the interior; but the pathway, which ran through the valleys leading to the summit of the ravine, was still so broken and difficult that the ponies could only carry half loads along it; and the descent down the clifTs was so steep that they were obliged to be unladen and led into the ravine without their burdens, which were carried down upon the men’s shoulders.  Men could not have behaved better than they all did on this occasion, particularly Corporal Auger who, possessing the power of carrying on his back very heavy burdens, took every occasion of exercising it in such a way as to stimulate the others, and very much to accelerate our movements.

But even when we had with so much labour got ponies, stores, etc. to the bottom of the ravine, our troubles had, as it were, only commenced, for we now had to get out of it on the other side.  In the course of the afternoon however a path had been made, and most of the stores were safely stowed upon an elevated tableland where we had pitched the tents.  The place I had chosen for our camp was a pretty spot; a sweet, short herbage had been raised by the heavy rains from the sandy soil, and amongst this the beauteous flowers, for which Australia is deservedly celebrated, were so scattered and intermixed that they gave the country an enamelled appearance.  A lofty species of Casuarina was intermingled with trees of a denser foliage, and on each side we looked down into two deep ravines; through the dense dark foliage of which could be seen the white foaming waters brawling on their way far below.

The next day was occupied in bringing up the remainder of the stores from the ravine and repairing the damages which had resulted from the bursting of bags and other mischief in their transit over such rough ground.  Early in the morning we all had a good bathe, and only those who have been so constantly engaged under a burning sun, and for upwards of a week without regularly washing or undressing, can at all estimate the pleasure with which I plunged into the clear and rapid stream.

Ascent from the ravine.

After thus performing our ablutions we breakfasted, and then, whilst the stores were being conveyed to the tableland, I started, accompanied by one man, to explore a route for our line of march next day.  After continuing on the tableland for about a mile I traced a good route both into and out of another ravine; the stream which occupied the bed of this was so swollen that I had some difficulty in finding