IMBAT’S notions.

My intentions in going on were to have everything prepared for the men on their arrival at the hut; but when I reached it I found it deserted, the owner having returned to Perth.  I however lit a fire and laid down, Imbat again beginning to cook, and then chattering:  “What for do you who have plenty to eat and much money walk so far away in the bush?” I felt amazingly annoyed at this question and therefore did not answer him.  “You are thin,” said he, “your shanks are long, your belly is small, you had plenty to eat at home, why did you not stop there?” I was vexed at his personalities, besides which it is impossible to make a native understand our love of travel.  I therefore replied, “Imbat, you comprehend nothing, you know nothing.”  “I know nothing!” answered he; “I know how to keep myself fat; the young women look at me and say, Imbat is very handsome, he is fat.  They will look at you and say, He not good, long legs, what do you know? where is your fat? what for do you know so much if you can’t keep fat?  I know how to stay at home and not to walk too far in the bush.  Where is your fat?” “You know how to talk; long tongue;” was my reply; upon which Imbat, forgetting his anger, burst into a roar of laughter, and saying, “and I know how to make you fat,” began stuffing me with frogs, barde, and by-yu nuts.  The rest of the party arrived just before nightfall, and, searching the hut, found a paper of tea, and an old tin pot in which they cooked some, and then eating frogs, etc., for their supper, we all laid down to sleep, and in the silence of the night I rendered fervent thanks to my Maker who had again brought us so near the haven where we would be.”

Opinions of the men regarding the fate of our other party.

April 21.

It had rained all night but we had been a little sheltered by the hut; though from the state of anxiety we were in sleep did not visit our eyes.  This was the first time since I had been out that I had slept so near the men as to be able to overhear their conversation; but the rain forced us all to seek the shelter of the same little hut, and I thus gathered the different stories that they narrated to one another.  Their speculations and conjectures naturally ran upon our absent comrades; some imagined that they were within a day or two’s march of us, but another party held firmly to the opinion that we should never see them more.

Superstitions of my men.

They could give no apparently satisfactory reason for holding this opinion, and, as there was evidently some deep mystery connected with it, I kept on pressing my servant Coles in order to induce him to tell me whence it arose.  At last it came out that Mr. Walker had had a dream, when we were on the shores of Shark Bay and before we had commenced our return home, that some dreadful misfortune had befallen us