“The proud desire of sowing broad the germs of lasting worth
    Shall challenge give to scornful laugh of careless sons of earth;
    Though mirth deride, the pilgrim feet that tread the desert plain,
    The thought that cheers me onward is, I have not lived in vain.”

After our dinner Mr. Tietkens and I ascended the highest mountain in the neighbourhood—­several others not far away were higher, but this was the most convenient.  Water boiled at its summit at 204 degrees, which gives an altitude above sea level of 4131 feet, it being about 1500 feet above the surrounding country.  I called this Mount Ferdinand, and another higher point nearly west of it I called Mount James-Winter*.  The view all round from west to north was shut out.  To the south and south-east other ranges existed.  The timber of the Ferdinand could be traced for many miles in a southerly direction; it finally became lost in the distance in a timbered if not a scrubby country.  This mountain was highly magnetic.  I am surprised at seeing so few signs of natives in this region.  We returned to the camp and sowed seeds of many cereals, fodder plants, and vegetables.  A great quantity of tea-tree grew in this glen.  The water was pure and fresh.

Two or three miles farther down, the creek passed between two hills; the configuration of the mountains now compelled me to take a south-westerly valley for my road.  In a few miles another fine creek-channel came out of the range to the north of us, near the foot of Mount James-Winter; it soon joined a larger one, up which was plenty of running water; this I called the Reid*.  We were now traversing another very pretty valley running nearly west, with fine cotton and salt-bush flats, while picturesque cypress pines covered the hills on both sides of us.  Under some hills which obstructed our course was another creek, where we encamped, the grass and herbage being most excellent; and this also was a very pretty place.  Our latitude here was 26 degrees 24’.

(Illustration:  Encounter with the natives at “The officer,” Musgrave range.)

Gibson went away on horseback this morning to find the others, but came back on foot to say he had lost the one he started with.  We eventually got them all, and proceeded down the creek south, then through a little gap west, on to the banks of a fine large creek with excellent timber on it.  The natives were burning the grass up the channel north-westerly.  Mr. Tietkens and I rode up in advance to reconnoitre; we went nearly three miles, when we came to running water.  At the same time we evidently disturbed a considerable number of natives, who raised a most frightful outcry at our sudden and unexpected advent amongst them.  Those nearest to us walked slowly into the reeds, rushes, tea-trees, and high salt bushes, but deliberately watching our every movement.  While watering our horses a great many from the outskirts