Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 1.djvu/263

AND EXl'LORATION. 159 of the creek ; when they had done so, " they found them- 1791 selves on the borders of a river not more than eighty feet April, wide/^ with low banks covered with brush. The land rose so much on their right that they could not see more than a hundred yards about them, and what they did see was not pleasant to look upon, being mostly a poor stony soil. The Poor country through which they were moving was not by any means easy walking for men carrying their own provisions, so that they did not object to halt at four o'clock and make their fires for the night. On the third day they continued following up the creek, which had now dwindled into a good-sized ditch, until they reached the head of it, where they were able to cross over. They then struck for the north-west in order to get to the river again ; but they were soon stopped by a deep gully. HUia and On ascending a hill to their left, they saw the country open ^ towards the west, and thought they could distinguish Rich- mond Hill — the southern extremity of the range — apparently about thirteen miles distant. To the little hill on which they stood Phillip gave the name of '^TencVs Prospect Hill, that officer having then seen Richmond Hill from it for the first time. Here they seem to have found themselves in a difficulty, not knowing in what direction they should pro- ceed. At last they determined to return to the point at Retradnsr •' * their BtcipB. which they had made the river the day before, and then to trace it westward until they had got opposite Richmond Hill. So they trudged back again to the head of the creek which they had crossed at noon ; and when they had reached it they thought they had taken quite enough exercise for that day, and accordingly sat down to tea round their camp fires. They did not make a very early start next morning, as it was half -past seven when they crossed the creek. They then had some easy walking through a country full of timber and pleasing to the eye, but with a poor soil covered all over with stones. The next thing they came to was a swamp, where they had a little duck-shooting before they crossed it; Digitized by Google