At a
distance of three miles, the plain became everywhere stony, being
scattered over with quartz pebbles; and a little further on we came
to low quartz ranges, the higher portions of which are covered with
porcupine grass, but the valleys are well clothed with a variety of
coarse and rank herbage. At about five miles we crossed a creek
with a sandy bed, which has been named Green's Creek; there were
blacks not far above where we crossed, but we did not disturb them.
After crossing the creek, we took a due north course over very
rugged quartz ranges of an auriferous character. Pieces of iron
ore, very rich, were scattered in great numbers over some of the
hills. On our being about to cross one of the branch creeks in the
low range, we surprised some blacks--a man who, with a young fellow
apparently his son, was upon a tree, cutting out something; and a
lubra with a piccaninny. The two former did not see me until I was
nearly close to them, and then they were dreadfully frightened;
jumping down from the trees, they started off, shouting what
sounded to us very like "Joe, Joe." Thus disturbed, the lubra, who
was at some distance from them, just then caught sight of the
camels and the remainder of the party as they came over the hill
into the creek, and this tended to hasten their flight over the
stones and porcupine grass.
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