We passed over vast spaces covered with the polygonum junceum, that bore all the appearance of the flooded tracks in the neighbourhood of the marshes, and on which the travelling was equally distressing to the animals.  Indeed, it had been sufficiently evident to us that the waters of this river were not always confined to its channel, capacious as it was, but that they inundated a belt of barren land, that varied in width from a quarter of a mile to a mile, when they were checked by an outer embankment that prevented them from spreading generally over the country, and upon the neighbouring plains.  At our halting place, the cattle drank sparingly of the water, but it acted as a violent purgative both on them and the men who partook of it.

Native village.

On the 5th, the river led us to the southward and westward.  Early in the day, we passed a group of seventy huts, capable of holding from twelve to fifteen men each.  They appeared to be permanent habitations, and all of them fronted the same point of the compass.  In searching amongst them we observed two beautifully made nets, of about ninety yards in length.  The one had much larger meshes than the other, and was, most probably, intended to take kangaroos; but the other was evidently a fishing net.

In one hut, the floor of which was swept with particular care, a number of white balls, as of pulverised shells or lime, had been deposited—­the use of which we could not divine.  A trench was formed round the hut to prevent the rain from running under it, and the whole was arranged with more than ordinary attention.

Terror of the natives.

We had not proceeded very far when we came suddenly upon the tribe to which this village, as it might be called, belonged.

In breaking through some brush to an open space that was bounded on one side by the river, we observed three or four natives, seated on a bank at a considerable distance from us; and directly in the line on which we were moving.  The nature of the ground so completely favoured our approach, that they did not become aware of it until we were within a few yards of them, and had ascended a little ridge, which, as we afterwards discovered, ended in an abrupt precipice upon the river, not more than thirty yards to our right.  The crack of the drayman’s whip was the first thing that aroused their attention.  They gazed upon us for a moment, and then started up and assumed an attitude of horror and amazement; their terror apparently increasing upon them.  We stood perfectly immovable, until at length they gave a fearful yell, and darted out of sight.

They fire the bush.

Their cry brought about a dozen more natives from the river, whom we had not before observed, but who now ran after their comrades with surprising activity, and without once venturing to look behind them.  As our position was a good one, we determined to remain upon it, until we should ascertain the number and disposition of the natives.  We had not been long stationary, when we heard a crackling noise in the distance, and it soon became evident that the bush had been fired.  It was, however, impossible that we could receive any injury on the narrow ridge upon which we stood, so that we waited very patiently to see the end of this affair.