nd a half miles over a country with higher undulations and
good grass, with myall, western-wood acacia and Port Curtis sandalwood.
We went by the following courses: 11.20 south eight and three-quarter
miles; 2.20 south and by east six and a half miles; 3.24 south-south-west
two and a half miles; 4.45 south-west four miles; 5.7 west one mile to
the river; 5.25 north-north-west three-quarters of a mile to marked tree;
6.30 north-west and by north three miles to encampment. Distance
travelled by Jemmy and myself today twenty-six and a half miles.

April 2.

We started this morning at 8.15 and travelled down the river till six in
the evening, journeying later than usual to get out of the neighbourhood
of some blacks that we passed about seven miles back from here. At a
place about fourteen and a half miles back I halted with Jackey and made
an observation of the sun; afterwards, when we had nearly overtaken the
party, I observed the blacks were near them. We galloped towards them to
make them run away; but instead of doing so they remained and received us
in a friendly manner and offered us their spears and boomerangs. I let
Jackey take a spear and two boomerangs; the spear we wanted for making
ramrods; in return for their presents I gave them a tomahawk. These
blacks are fine, tall, powerful fellows. When we overtook the party Mr.
Bourne informed me that the blacks had followed it for about three miles,
and that one of them, a powerfully built man about six feet high, had
been so very bold that he (Mr. Bourne) had repeatedly fired over his head
without causing him any alarm; and that on one occasion, on looking
round, he saw him apparently in the act of throwing his boomerang at him.
These blacks told Jemmy, who understood their language, that they had
seen nothing of any explorers with camels. When we were unsaddling I was
sorry to find that we had not got out of the neighbourhood of the blacks
as I observed some of them were watching us from behind some trees close
at hand. Jemmy told them that I was very angry at them for following us.
In reply they said I was mistaken, that they had not followed, they had
never seen us before. Shortly afterwards Jemmy had a long conversation
with them during which they informed him they had seen a party of
explorers to the eastward, but that they had never seen any with camels
or drays. When they left they assured us they would not return until
morning. A place that we passed about nin