the familiar haunts of civilised man.  Here, too, we find in this fearful waste, this howling wilderness, this country vast and desert idle, places scooped out of the solid rock, and the mighty foundations of the round world laid bare, that the lower organism of God’s human family may find their proper sustenance; but truly the curse must have gone forth more fearfully against them, and with a vengeance must it have been proclaimed, by the sweat of their brows must they obtain their bread.  No doubt it was with the intention of obtaining ours, thus reaping the harvest of unfurrowed fields, that these natives were induced to make so murderous an attack upon us.  We neither saw nor heard anything more of our sable enemies, and on the 18th we departed out of their coasts.  This watering place, Ularring, is situated in latitude 29 degrees 35’, and longitude 120 degrees 31’ 4”.

CHAPTER 4.4.  FROM 18TH OCTOBER TO 18TH NOVEMBER, 1875.

Depart from Ularring. 
Re-enter scrubs. 
Scrubs more dense. 
A known point. 
Magnetic rocks. 
Lowans’ eggs. 
Numbers of the birds. 
Crows, hawks. 
Natives and water. 
Induce natives to decamp. 
Unusually vigorous growth of scrubs. 
Alec sights Mount Churchman. 
Bronze-winged pigeons. 
Pigeon Rocks. 
Depart. 
Edge of a cliff. 
Mount Churchman in view. 
Some natives arrive. 
A wandering pet. 
Lake Moore. 
Rock-holes. 
Strike old dray tracks. 
An outlying sheep-station. 
The first white man seen. 
Dinner of mutton. 
Exploring at an end. 
Civilisation once more. 
Tootra. 
All sorts and conditions come to interview us. 
A monastery. 
A feu-de-joie. 
The first telegraph station. 
Congratulatory messages. 
Intimations of receptions. 
A triumphal march. 
Messrs. Clunes Brothers. 
An address. 
Culham. 
White ladies. 
Newcastle. 
A triumphal arch. 
A fine tonic. 
Tommy’s speech. 
Unscientific profanity. 
Guildford on the Swan. 
Arrival at Perth. 
Reception by the Mayor. 
The city decorated. 
Arrival at the Town Hall. 
A shower of garlands. 
A beautiful address. 
A public reception at Fremantle. 
Return to Perth. 
And festivities. 
Remarks.

(Illustration:  Forcing A passage through the scrubs in western Australia.)

On the 18th we departed.  Mount Churchman was now not much more than 150 miles away.  I felt sure we should reach it at last.  It was late in the day when we left the camp, and immediately re-entered the dense and odious scrubs, which were more than usually thick.  We passed a small salt-lake bed on our right, and made good twenty miles by night, which fell with cold and wind and threatened rain.  At three or four miles the next morning, we saw some bare granite rocks to the south, and noticed the tops