it, we saw immediately below us, that this hilly country ceased immediately to the east, but that it ran on south-easterly.  Two or three small creeks were visible below, then a thick scrubby region set in, bounded exactly to the east by Mount Olga itself, which was sixty miles away.  There was a large area of bare rock all about this hill, and in a crevice we got a little water and turned our horses out.  While we were eating our dinner, Mr. Tietkens gave the alarm that the enemy was upon us again, and instantly we heard their discordant cries.  The horses began to gallop off in hobbles.  These wretches now seemed determined to destroy us, for, having considerably augmented their numbers, they swarmed around us on all sides.  Two of our new assailants were of commanding stature, each being nearly tall enough to make two of Tietkens if not of me.  These giants were not, however, the most forward in the onslaught.  The horses galloped off a good way, with Tietkens running after them:  in some trepidation lest my revolver should again play me false, though of course I had cleaned and re-loaded it, I prepared to defend the camp.  The assailants immediately swarmed round me, those behind running up, howling, until the whole body were within thirty yards of me; then they came on more slowly.  I could now see that aggression on my part was the only thing for it; I must try to carry the situation with a coup.  I walked up to them very fast and pointed my revolver at them.  Some, thinking I was only pointing my finger, pointed their fingers at me.  They all had their spears ready and quivering in their wommerahs, and I am sure I should in another instant have been transfixed with a score or two of spears, had not Mr. Tietkens, having tied up the horses, come running up, which caused a moment’s diversion, and both our revolvers going off properly this time, we made our foes retreat at a better pace than they had advanced.  Some of their spears were smashed in their hands; most of them dropped everything they carried, and went scudding away over the rocks as fast as fear and astonishment would permit.  We broke all the spears we could lay our hands on, nearly a hundred, and then finished our dinner.

I would here remark that the natives of Australia have two kinds of spears—­namely, the game- and the war-spear.  The game-spear is a thick, heavy implement, barbed with two or three teeth, entirely made of wood, and thrown by the hand.  These are used in stalking large game, such as emus, kangaroos, etc., when the hunter sneaks on the quarry, and, at a distance of forty to fifty yards, transfixes it, though he may not just at the moment kill the animal, it completely retards its progress, and the hunter can then run it to earth.  The war-spears are different and lighter, the hinder third of them being reed, the other two-thirds mulga wood; they are barbed, and thrown with a wommerah, to a distance up to 150 yards, and are sometimes ten feet long.