Our bivouac this night had a beauty about it which would have made anyone possessed with the least enthusiasm fall in love with a bush life.  We were sitting on a gently-rising ground which sloped away gradually to a picturesque lake surrounded by wooded hills, whilst the moon shone so brightly on the lake that the distance was perfectly clear, and we could distinctly see the large flocks of wildfowl as they passed over our heads and then splashed into the water, darkening and agitating its silvery surface; in front of us blazed a cheerful fire, round which were the dark forms of the natives, busily engaged in roasting ducks for us; the foreground was covered with graceful grass trees and, at the moment we commenced supper, I made the natives set fire to the dried tops of two of these, and by the light of these splendid chandeliers, which threw a red glare over the whole forest in our vicinity, we ate our evening meal; then, closing round the fire, rolled ourselves up in our blankets and laid down to sleep.

December 3.

At dawn this morning Mr. Smith and Warrup started on the horses in search of his boot; and I spent the day in shooting wildfowl and various kind of game, as well as in collecting words from the natives for my vocabulary.  About 4 P.M.  Mr. Smith returned with his boot and we all retired early to rest.

December 4.

We started at sunrise and travelled about six miles in the direction of 17 degrees, and then halted for breakfast at a lake called Boongarrup.  The whole of the country we passed over this morning was sandy and bad, being thinly clothed with Banksia trees; but immediately about the lake there was, as usual, good land.  We started immediately after breakfast as the natives told us we had a long journey to make.  Our course now lay in the direction of 13 degrees.  The country we passed over was still of the same sandy nature; and after travelling about ten miles we made another lake.

STRANGER TRIBE.  NATIVE TOILETTE.

The natives here saw the recent signs of strange blacks and insisted upon my coming to a halt whilst they painted themselves and made sundry additions to their toilette.  I urged my remonstrances upon this head, but it was in vain.  They said that we should soon see some very pretty girls; that I might go on if I liked, but that they would not move until they had completed their preparations for meeting their fair friends.  I therefore made the best of it and sat myself down whilst they continued adorning themselves.  This being done to their satisfaction, they came and requested my opinion as to their appearance; and as I intimated my most unqualified approval they became in high spirits, and gave a very animated description of the conquests they expected to make.

This weighty affair having been completed we again moved on, the natives keeping a careful lookout for the friends they expected to see.  They at length espied one sitting in the rushes looking for small fish; but no sooner did he see the approaching party than he took to his heels as hard as he could, and two others whom we had not before observed followed his example.