NATIVES AND THE BULLOCK-DRIVER.

July 27.

The cart which had fallen behind came in about three o’clock in the morning.  The natives had soon been heard about the solitary driver, and four of them came up to him and demanded tomahawks; but being an old bushranger, he, on their approach, laid out all his cartridges one by one before him on a tarpaulin with his pistol and carabine, ready for action; but fortunately his visitors did not proceed to extremities.  The morning was very foggy and, as this weather did not admit of my choosing a good line of route, and as the surface of the country was so soft that it was imperatively necessary to look well before us, I halted.  I could thus at least bring up my maps and journals and rest the jaded cattle after so much long-continued toil in travelling through the mud.

MR. STAPYLTON’S RIDE SOUTHWARD.

I directed Mr. Stapylton to ride in the direction of 30 degrees West of South (my intended route) and ascertain whether we were approaching any river.  The country we were in, being still lacustrine, I hoped to find the surface more favourable for travelling upon where it was drained by rivers; for on that amongst the salt lakes, although the land was very good in point of fertility, there was evidently a deficiency of slope and consequently much more water retained in the soil.  Still the ground presented undulations, being rarely quite level like the plains except indeed in the beds of swamps.  Recent experience had taught us to avoid the very level parts and to seek any kind of rising ground.  The hills we occasionally fell in with consisted of white sand, and at first looked like connected ridges where we might find streams; but we ascertained that they always parted without enclosing any channels and left us in the mud.  The sand itself still consisted of the same rock (decomposed) which appeared to be so generally spread over the country then between us and the eastern shores of New Holland.  Mr. Stapylton did not return this evening, a circumstance which very much alarmed me as he had taken only one man with him and was to have come back before sunset.

July 28.

Supposing that Mr. Stapylton had gone past our camp in returning, the afternoon having been very rainy, I this morning sent out two parties, the one to proceed east, the other west, in search of his track which, if found by either, was to be followed until he was overtaken.  Mr. Stapylton returned however before midday, having ridden twenty miles in the direction pointed out without having seen any river.  He had passed a number of circular lakes similar to those already described; the seventh and most remote having appeared the largest.  Just then as he turned his horse he perceived that the land beyond became higher, indicating a change of country.  The party which had gone eastward heard our signal shot on Mr. Stapylton’s arrival and returned, having also seen four similar lakes; but the party sent westward did not reach the camp until some hours after the other.