The other measured seven inches, and resembled in shape a small fish at home, known to all schoolboys as the prickle-back; it was curiously marked, having five spots nearly black on each side, near the ridge of the back; the ground around them was a dark glossy brown; the belly was a slightly shining white, reaching as far up as the lower line of the eye and the margin of the spots.
While Mr.Bynoe was occupied in making sketches of them, which have been transmitted to Dr.Richardson, Mr.Forsyth and myself ascended a neighbouring hillock, and traced the river in a westerly direction for two miles; it then turned round to North-North-East: a deep narrow valley separated it from the higher land to the eastward.

The bed of the river at this place, though partly dry, was wider than we had hitherto seen it, and the trees upon its banks still showed evident signs of being washed by a mountain torrent.

After making a set of observations for longitude, we started again at 3 o'clock P.M.taking a north-west direction over a flat of tolerably fine light mould.

Near here a party of natives crossed the river, in the direction of those we had first seen: perhaps to effect a junction of forces and demand the meaning of our strange intrusion.

We took an East 1/2 North direction across the flat, but finding the ground very broken and stony, intersected by deep watercourses, and rendered additionally impracticable by high grass and thick reeds, we were compelled, after getting half across, to make the best of our way to the river.
FATIGUE OF THE PARTY.
It was intensely hot, not a breath of air stirring, and to add to our misfortunes, we had inadvertently dined off the contents of a canister of salt meat.