or a very considerable branch of that stream, in s. lat. 15° 56', E. long. 125° 8': it was 250 yards across, and formed a series of rapids at this point, where it emerged from a rocky gorge. Just above the rapids, we found a good ford, the average depth of which was not more than three feet. After crossing, the banks on the other side were clothed with a species of Casuarina which I did not observe elsewhere. The country on that side of the stream was sandy, and, as I found by the time we had proceeded two or three miles, that we were getting embarrassed in a sandstone range, I halted the party for the night, and went on to try if I could find a pass across it. My exertions were not, however, very successful: I came upon a path which I thought might be rendered practicable for the ponies, over the first part of the range, but found no line by which we could proceed without making

a road.

March 29.-At dawn, this morning, the men were at work forming the road; the poor fellows were, however, so much enfeebled from constant fatigue, and very inefficient nutriment, whilst exposed to the great heat of a tropical climate, that they were unable to exert the same energy as formerly, and I could not but be struck with the great difference in their strength, as evinced in their incapacity to move stones and other obstacles, which a few weeks ago they would have had little difficulty in lifting. The path was, however, soon made as passable as our abilities permitted, and we started along it with

SANDSTONE CAVE.

213

the ponies; some of them were, however, no less reduced than the men, and, in endeavouring to lead one of them up a rocky hill, it fell, and from weakness, sank under its light load, without making an effort to save itself; the spine was thus so severely injured as to render it unable to move the hinder extremities; we, therefore, killed the poor creature, and moved on.

Throughout the day, we continued gradually the ascent of the range which we had yesterday commenced. The large valley we were in, led us, by a gentle slope, winding higher and higher amongst the rocky hills; at first, it had been so wide as to appear like a plain, but, by degrees, it contracted its dimensions, until, towards the afternoon, it suddenly assumed almost the character of a gorge. Just at this point, we saw, in the cliffs on our left hand, a cave, which I entered in the hope of finding native paintings.

Nor was I disappointed, for it contained several of a very curious character. This cave was a natural chasm in the sandstone rocks, elevated at its entrance several feet above the level of the ground, from which the ascent to it was by a natural flight of sandstone steps, irregular, of course, but formed of successive thin strata, resting one upon another, and thus constituting an easy ascent; these successive layers continued into the body of the cave, quite to the end, where was a central slab, more elevated than the others, and on each side of this, two other larger ones, which reached the

214

FIGURE DRAWN ON THE ROOF.

top of the cave, and partly served to support the immense sandstone slab, that formed the roof.

The cave was twenty feet deep, and at the entrance seven feet high, and about forty feet wide. As before stated, the floor gradually approached the roof in the direction of the bottom of the cavern, and its width also contracted, so that at the extremity it was not broader than the slab of rock, which formed a natural seat. The principal painting in it was the figure of a man, ten feet six inches in length, clothed from the chin downwards in a red garment, which reached to the wrists and ancles; beyond this red dress the feet and hands protruded, and were badly executed.

The face and head of the figure were enveloped in a succession of circular bandages or rollers, or what appeared to be painted to represent such. These were coloured red, yellow, and white; and the eyes were the only features represented on the face. Upon the highest bandage or roller, a series of lines were painted in red, but although so regularly done as to indicate that they have some meaning, it was impossible to tell whether they were intended to depict written characters, or some ornament for the head. This figure was so drawn on the roof that its feet were just in front of the natural seat, whilst its head and face looked directly down on any one who stood in the entrance of the cave, but it was totally invisible from the outside. painting was more injured by the damp and atmosphere, and had the appearance of being much more

The