quickly over it, I continued my journey to the N.W. over barren plains of red sandy loam of even surface, and bushes of cypresses skirted by acacia pendula.  It was not until after sunset that we struck upon a creek, in which the water was excellent; and we halted on its banks for the night, calculating our distance at twenty-nine miles from the camp.  The creek was of considerable size, leading northerly.  Several huts were observed by us, and from the heaps of muscle-shells that were scattered about, there could be no doubt of its being much frequented by the natives.  The grass being fairly burnt up, our animals found but little to eat, but they had a tolerable journey and did not attempt to wander in search of better food.  I shot a snipe near the creek, much resembling the painted snipe of India; but I had not the means with me of preserving it.

A tribe of natives.

Continuing our journey on the following morning, we at first kept on the banks of the creek, and at about a quarter of a mile from where we had slept, came upon a numerous tribe of natives.  A young girl sitting by the fire was the first to observe us as we were slowly approaching her.  She was so excessively alarmed, that she had not the power to run away; but threw herself on the ground and screamed violently.  We now observed a number of huts, out of which the natives issued, little dreaming of the spectacle they were to behold.  But the moment they saw us, they started back; their huts were in a moment in flames, and each with a fire-brand ran to and fro with hideous yells, thrusting them into every bush they passed.  I walked my horse quietly towards an old man who stood more forward than the rest, as if he intended to devote himself for the preservation of his tribe.  I had intended speaking to him, but on a nearer approach I remarked that he trembled so violently that it was impossible to expect that I could obtain any information from him, and as I had not time for explanations, I left him to form his own conjectures as to what we were, and continued to move towards a thick brush, into which they did not venture to follow us.

Continue our journey.

After a ride of about eighteen miles, through a country of alternate plain and brush, we struck upon a second creek leading like the first to the northward.  The water in it was very bitter and muddy, and it was much inferior in appearance to that at which we had slept.  After stopping for half-an-hour upon its banks, to rest our animals, we again pushed forward.  We had not as yet risen any perceptible height above the level of the marshes, but had left the country subject to overflow for a considerable space behind us.  The brushes through which we had passed were too sandy to retain water long, but the plains were of such an even surface, that they could not but continue wet for a considerable period after any fall of rain.  They were covered with salsolaceous plants, without a blade of grass; and their soil was generally a red sandy loam.  There were occasional patches that appeared moist, in which the calystemma was abundant, and these patches must, I should imagine, form quagmires in the wet season.