We killed our little steer in the afternoon of the 10th, and the next day we cut the meat into slices, and hung it out on a kangaroo net:  the wind was high, the sun warm, and our meat dried most perfectly.  Whilst we were in the midst of our work, some natives made their appearance.  I held out a branch as a sign of peace, when they ventured up to hold a parley, though evidently with great suspicion.  They were rather small, and the tall ones were slim and lightly built.  They examined Brown’s hat, and expressed a great desire to keep it.  In order to make them a present, I went to the tents to fetch some broken pieces of iron; and whilst I was away, Brown, wishing to surprise them, mounted his horse, and commenced trotting, which frightened them so much, that they ran away, and did not come again.  One of them had a singular weapon, neatly made, and consisting of a long wooden handle, with a sharp piece of iron fixed in at the end, like a lancet.  The iron most probably had been obtained from the Malays who annually visit the gulf for trepang.  Some of their spears were barbed.

July 12.—­The meat had dried so well, that I started this morning; having completed the operation of drying in rather more than a day.  It was, of course, necessary to spread the meat out for several days, to prevent its becoming mildewed.  This was done every day after arriving at our camping-place.

Our killing camp was about five miles south-west from the Van Diemen; and we travelled in the same direction about eight miles farther, through a most beautiful country, consisting of an open forest timbered with the box-tree, apple-gum, and white-gum; it was well grassed, and abundantly supplied with water.  We crossed a small river with a course west by north; it had a broad sandy bed, numerous pools of water, and steep banks:  the latter were covered with Sarcocephalus and drooping tea-trees.  I called it the “Gilbert,” after my unfortunate companion.  Five miles farther, we came to a fine creek, at which we encamped.  Its water-holes were surrounded by the Nelumbiums of the Mackenzie, and by a fine yellow Ipomoea, with larger flowers than that described as growing at the Mitchell.  We gathered a considerable quantity of Nelumbium seeds, which were very palatable, and, when roasted and pounded, made a most excellent substitute for coffee.

July 13.—­Our horses had enjoyed the green feed round the lagoons near our killing camp, so much, that they returned to it during the night, and caused a delay until noon, when we resumed our journey.  The first part of the stage was over fine well-watered forest land.  We crossed two creeks, with good water-holes, in one of which was a fishing weir.  The country to the south of the last creek changed to a succession of plains of various sizes, extending mostly to the westward, and very open undulations scattered over with rather stunted trees of Grevillea mimosoides, G. ceratophylla, Terminalia, Bauhinia,