Aspect of country and river.

As soon as we had taken a hasty dinner, we again embarked, and pursued our journey.  I had hoped, from the appearance of the country to the north of us, although that to the south gave little indication of any change, that we should soon clear the reeds; but at somewhat less than a mile they closed in upon the river, and our frequent examination of the neighbourhood on either side of it only tended to confirm the fact, that we were passing through a country subject to great and extensive inundation.  We pulled up at half-past five, and could scarcely find space enough to pitch our tents.

The Morumbidgee kept a decidedly westerly course during the day.  Its channel was not so tortuous as we expected to have found it, nor did it offer any obstruction to the passage of the boats.  Its banks kept a general height of eight feet, five of which were of alluvial soil, and both its depth and its current were considerable.  We calculated having proceeded from 28 to 30 miles, though, perhaps, not more than half that distance in a direct line.  No rain fell during the day, but we experienced some heavy squalls from the E.S.E.

The skiff strikes and Sinks—­labour in recovering articles lost.

The second day of our journey from the depot was marked by an accident that had well nigh obliged us to abandon the further pursuit of the river, by depriving us of part of our means of carrying it into effect.  We had proceeded, as usual, at an early hour in the morning, and not long after we started, fell in with the blacks who had visited us last, and who were now in much better humour than upon that occasion.  As they had their women with them, we pushed in to the bank, and distributed some presents, after which we dropped quietly down the river.  Its general depth had been such as to offer few obstructions to our progress, but about an hour after we left the natives, the skiff struck upon a sunken log, and immediately filling, went down in about twelve feet of water, The length of the painter prevented any strain upon the whale-boat, but the consequence of so serious an accident at once flashed upon our minds.  That we should suffer considerably, we could not doubt, but our object was to get the skiff up with the least possible delay, to prevent the fresh water from mixing with the brine, in the casks of meat.  Some short time, however, necessarily elapsed before we could effect this, and when at last the skiff was hauled ashore, we found that we were too late to prevent the mischief that we had anticipated.  All the things had been fastened in the boat, but either from the shock, or the force of the current, one of the pork casks, the head of the still, and the greater part of the carpenter’s tools, had been thrown out of her.  As the success of the expedition might probably depend upon the complete