Lofty round mountain, S. 127 degrees W.
  Mountain scarcely visible, S. 128 degrees W.
  Northern extremity of a broken range, S. 102 degrees W.
  Southern extremity scarcely visible, S. 58 degrees W.

The country between the river and these ranges appeared to be very low, and darkly wooded:  that to the N.E. was more open.  The summit of the cliff did not form any table-land, but it dipped almost immediately to the westward, and the country, although, as I have already remarked, it was depressed, and undulated.

I walked to some distance from the river, across a valley, and started several kangaroos; but I was quite alone, and could not, therefore, secure one of them.  Had the dogs been near, we should have had a fine feast.  The soil of the interior still continued sandy, but there was a kind of short grass mixed with the salsolaceous plants upon it, that indicated, as I thought, a change for the better in the vegetation; and the circumstance of there being kangaroos in the valleys to the westward was also a favourable sign.

Feast on A tortoise.

Beneath the cliffs hereabouts, the river was extremely broad and deep.  My servant thought it a good place for fishing and accordingly set a night-line, one end of which he fastened to the bough of a tree.  During the night, being on guard, he saw a small tortoise floating on the water, so near that he struck it a violent blow with a large stick, upon which it dived:  to his surprise, however, in the morning, he found that it had taken the bait, and was fast to the line.  On examining it, the shell proved to be cracked, so that the blow must have been a severe one.  It was the largest we had ever seen, and made an excellent dish.  The flesh was beautifully white, nor could anything, especially under our circumstances, have been more tempting than it was when cooked; yet M’Leay would not partake of it.

The prevailing wind was, at this time, from the S.W.  It blew heavily all day, but moderated towards the evening

I was very anxious, at starting on the 3rd, as to the course the river would take, since it would prove whether the little old man had played us false or not.  From the cliffs under which we had slept, it held a direct N.W. course for two or three miles.  It then turned suddenly to the S.E., and gradually came round to E.N.E., so that after two hours pulling, we found ourselves just opposite to the spot from which we had started, the neck of land that separated the channels not being more than 200 yards across.  I have before noticed a bend similar to this, which the Murray makes, a little above the junction of the supposed Darling with it.

Chart of the river.