that the tribe which had collected 500 men to attack Captain Sturt would be quiet in my rear after having lost some of their number.  To be in detached parties amongst a savage population was perilous in proportion to the length of time we continued separate; and I did not feel warranted in exhausting all my means in order to attain, by a circuitous route, the point where my survey ought to have commenced; while a second duty for which the means now left were scarcely adequate remained to be performed.  I had already reached a point far above where any boat could be taken, or even any heavy carts; and nothing was to be gained by following the river further.

The natives were heard by Piper several times during the day’s journey in the woods beyond the river, as if moving along the right bank in a route parallel with ours; but they did not appear near our camp, although their smoke was seen at a distance.

RAINY MORNING.

June 2.

For several days the barometer had been falling and this morning the weather was rainy and cold.

RETURN OF THE PARTY.

After tracing the further course of the Darling for some distance and obtaining, during an interval of sunshine, a view from a sandhill which commanded a very extensive prospect to the northward, I commenced the retrograde movement along our route, which was but too deeply visible in the sand.  From what Piper had said the men expected an engagement during the morning; and it was doubtful, on account of the wetness of the day, whether their pieces would go off if the natives came on; but fortunately we continued our journey unmolested.  We reached our former encampment notwithstanding the unfavourable state of the ground, and again pitched our tents upon it.  We found among the scrubs this day a new curious species of Baeckea with extremely small scattered leaves not larger than grains of millet, plano-convex and covered with pellucid dots.*

(Footnote.  B. crassifolia, Lindley manuscripts; glaberrima, foliis subrotundis oblongisque obtusis plano-convexis crassis, floribus solitariis axillaribus pedicellatis cernuis, laciniis calycinis marginatis integerrimis petalis integris brevioribus.)

SURPRISE THE FEMALES OF THE TRIBE.

June 3.

The natives had not again appeared, so that Piper’s conjecture that they were moving up the river by the opposite bank with a view to assemble the tribes higher up appeared to be correct.  Their gins had been left at their old camp; for as the party crossed a flat not far from it, and I fired at a kangaroo, their voices were immediately heard, signal columns of smoke arose in the air, and they hurried with their children to the opposite side of the Darling.  From this astonishment on their part at our appearance, and especially from their flight, knowing well then who we were, it was not improbable that they knew the men were absent on some mischievous scheme affecting us.