69
herbage for our horses. Traversing after breakfast the same distance and a similar country, we reached a district where the surface became more broken and abrupt: our course led us down a ravine, and we entered a rich and extensive valley; continuing along this for two miles, we ascended a hill, from which we observed water in the lower part of it; on proceeding down to it, we found that we had reached the Avon, about eighteen miles, as we then conjectured, to the S.E. of Mount Bakewell; it had here expanded into a reach of an average breadth of thirty yards; but on tracing its course downwards, it became contracted, and the stream was partly concealed amongst the tea trees that lined the banks; one mile below this we bivouaced for the night, at a beautiful spot where the river had again become broad and deep, and which here ran to the westward, after flowing a short distance north; behind us were two low peaked hills; we here killed a brace of ducks, &c. &c. Considerably more than half the land we passed over to-day was of a good quality; we observed on this part of the river marks of excessive inundation.
November 4th.—We determined to spend this day in examining the valley of the river, in order that we might give the gentlemen who accompanied us an opportunity of seeing as much of the country as possible before selecting their grants. We started at day light this morning with the intention of crossing the Avon, and proceeding due W. until we intersected one of its minor branches, which had previously been fallen in with by Lieutenant Erskine, and from thence to take a N.E. course in the direction of Mount Bakewell. We crossed the river about one mile lower down than where we bivouaced, and walked the same distance over a lighter
