When examining the creek on which we had been encamped for some days, Mr. Hume observed a small junction; and as we knew we were almost due N. of the marshes of the Macquarie, both of us were anxious to ascertain whence it originated.  To return to Mount Harris, by retracing our steps up the Castlereagh, would have entailed the severest distress upon us; we the rather preferred proceeding up this creek, and taking our chance for a supply of water.  We therefore crossed Morrisset’s chain of ponds, and encamped in the angle formed by the junction of the two creeks.

Before we left this position, we were visited by a party of natives, twelve in number, but not of the Darling tribe.  They accompanied us a short way, and then struck off to the right.  At about a mile and a half, we crossed Mr. Hume’s track, leading westerly, which still remained observable.  The creek was, no doubt, the hollow he stated that he crossed on that excursion, and its appearance certainly justified his opinion of it.  Its bed was choked up with bulrushes or the polygonum, and its banks were level with the country on either side, or nearly so.  We passed over extremely rich soil the whole day, on a S.W. and by W. course, though the timber upon it was dwarfish, and principally of the rough-gum kind.

On the 2nd of April, we stopped in order to make some repairs upon the dray; the wheels of which had failed us.  Clayton put in four new spokes, and we heated the tyres over again, by which means we got it once more serviceable.

Wild melon.

The soil in the creek was of the richest quality, and was found to produce a dwarf melon, having all the habits and character of the cucumber.  The fruit was not larger than a pigeon’s egg, but was extremely sweet.  There were not, however, many ripe, although the runners were covered with flowers, and had an abundance of fruit upon them.  In the morning, we sent the tinker on horseback up the creek, to ascertain how far the next water was from us, desiring him to keep the creek upon his right, and to follow his own track back again.  He thought fit, however, considering himself a good bushman, to wander away to his left, and the consequence was, that he soon lost himself.  It would appear that he doubled and passed through some thick brush at the back of the camp, and at length found himself at dark on the banks of a considerable creek.  In wandering along it, he luckily struck upon the natives we had last seen, who, good-naturedly, led him to the track of the dray, which his horse would not afterwards desert, and the tinker sneaked into the tent about 3 o’clock in the morning, having failed in his errand, and made himself the butt of the whole party.

Return up the creek.