which gained their confidence, and they began to examine and admire my dress, my watch, etc.  It was singular that the natives were always most struck with our hats.  We made them understand where we came from and whither we were going, and it seemed that they understood us better than we could understand them.  When the bullocks arrived, we returned to our camp, accompanied by the natives, who had lost all fear after the tokens of friendship they had received:  and when we started, they joined our train and guided us on their foot-path (Yareka) along the salt water creek (Yappar.) They very much admired our horses and bullocks, and particularly our kangaroo dog.  They expressed their admiration by a peculiar smacking or clacking with their tongue or lips.  The fine river changed very soon into a salt water creek, coming from south by west.  We passed some very beautiful rocky lagoons under the abrupt terminations of low sandstone hills, which were openly timbered at the top, but surrounded by thickets of the little Severn tree.  The box-tree grew on the flats which separated the ridges from the creek, with the small bread-tree, the bloodwood and pandanus.  As the Mangrove disappeared, the drooping tea-tree took its place.  Several rocky bars crossed the “Yappar,” which seemed to be the name by which the natives called it; but only one was broad enough to allow us to cross safely with our horses and bullocks.  Here our black friends took their leave of us; they seemed very desirous of showing us their whole country, and of introducing us to their tribe, which was probably very numerous.  After crossing the creek in lat. 17 degrees 54 minutes or 55 minutes, and longit. 140 degrees 45 minutes approx., we travelled due west, and came at once into an undulating hilly country.  The hills were composed of iron-sandstone; their summits were generally very openly timbered with apple-gum and a new white-barked tree; but their bases were covered with thickets of the little Severn tree.  The intervening flats bore either a box-tree with a short trunk branching off immediately above the ground; or a middle-sized tea-tree, with a lanceolate leaf, or thickets of stunted tea-tree.  We travelled full thirteen miles without water, or any decided water-course.  We passed several dry water-holes shaded by the broad-leaved Terminalia; and saw many Acacias twenty-five and thirty feet in height, with a slender trunk, and an elegant drooping foliage:  it very much resembled the Acacia of Expedition Range; but the drooping habit and more distant leaflets of its bipinnate leaves, showed at once their difference.  We had travelled five hours and a half, and Mr. Roper rode up to me several times, to complain of his inability to go any farther.  I encouraged him, however, and at sunset, we reached a creek, but it was dry; and, although we travelled until dark along its winding course, and saw many deep holes on its flats, and although fresh burnings showed that the natives had been there, yet no water was to be found, and we were obliged to encamp without it.  We, therefore, hobbled and tethered all the horses, and watched the bullocks.  Charley followed the creek for some distance in search of water, but returned without finding any.