we encamped upon it, although we could get no water.  The latitude of our camp on this dry creek was 25 degrees 19’.  The flies and heat were still terrible.  Leaving the creek and steering still for the high peak of Mount Labouchere, we came, at thirteen miles, upon a native well in the midst of a grassy flat among thickets.  The peak bore 6 degrees 30’ east of north from it.  This well appeared to have been dug out of calcareous soil.  We did not use it, but continued our journey over and through, both stony and occasionally sandy thickets, to some low hills which rose before us to the north.  On ascending these, a delightful and truly Australian scene was presented to our view, for before us lay the valley of the Gascoyne River.  This valley is three or four miles wide, and beautifully green.  It is bounded on the north, north-easterly, and north-westerly, by abrupt-faced ranges of hills, while down through the centre of the grassy plain stretch serpentine lines of vigorous eucalyptus-trees, pointing out the channels of the numerous watercourses into which the river splits.  The umbrageous and evergreen foliage of the tops, the upright, creamy white stems of these elegant gum-trees, contrasted remarkably and agreeably with the dull and sombre hues of the treeless hills that formed the background, and the enamelled and emerald earth that formed the groundwork of the scene.  We lost no time in descending from the hills to the beautiful flat below, and discovered a fine long reach of water in the largest channel, where there were numbers of wild ducks.  The water was slightly brackish in taste.  It appeared to continue for a considerable distance upon either hand, both east and west.  The herbage was exceedingly fine and green, and it was a most excellent place for an encampment.  The trees formed the greatest charm of the scene; they were so beautifully white and straight.  It could not be said of this place that: 

   “The gnarled, knotted trunks Eucalyptian,
    Seemed carved like weird columns Egyptian;
    With curious device, quaint inscription,
    And hieroglyph strange.”

The high Mount Labouchere bore 8 degrees 20’ east of north, the latitude was 25 degrees 3’, longitude 117 degrees 59’, and the variation 4 degrees 28’ west.  The wind blew fiercely from the east, and seemed to betoken a change in the weather.  From a hill to the north of us we could see that small watercourses descended from low hills to the north and joined the river at various points, one of which, from a north-easterly direction, I shall follow.  The country in that direction seemed very rough and stony.  We shot a number of ducks and pigeons here.  No natives came near us, although Saleh picked up a burning fire-stick close to the camp, dropped by some wandering savage, who had probably taken a very keen scrutiny and mental photograph of us all, so as to enable him to give his fellow-barbarians a full, true, and particular account of the wild and