ering their poised spears at him, at a
distance of only ten or twelve paces. At length the foremost man turned
round, and by slapping his posteriors, gave him to understand by that
vulgar gesture, his most contemptuous defiance: this induced the old
soldier to discharge his carbine over the head of the savage, who first
sprung some feet into the air, and then ran off with all the others. Soon
after, the same native was seen creeping up the steep bank, so as to
approach the camp under the cover of some large trees, the rest
following, and he was again met by our party. He then seemed to recite
with great volubility a description of the surrounding territory, as he
continually pointed in the course of his harangue to various localities,
and in this description he was prompted by the female behind, who also,
by rapid utterance and motions of the arm, seemed to recite a territorial
description. Finding, however, that his speech made no impression on the
white strangers, and that they still beckoned them to depart; he stuck a
spear into the ground, and, by gestures, seemed to propose that, on the
one side, the ground should be occupied by the strangers, and on the
other side, by them. Graham apparently assenting to this, they seemed
more satisfied and departed. There were two deep reaches; one above, the
other below, our camp. The upper one was deepest, largest, and more
remote from our party, and most within reach of the natives. I gave
strict orders that no man should go there; nor that the cattle should be
allowed to feed there; that it should, in fact, be left wholly to the
natives; that no ducks should be shot, that no men should fish there.
Nothing could be more reasonable than the proposal of this native, nor
more courageous than his appearance before our more numerous party, with
his spears and open defiance; and I was determined to take every
precaution to avoid a collision with his small tribe, and prevent, during
our probably long residence here, our people from doing them any harm.
Thermometer, at sunrise, 22 deg.; at noon, 60 deg.; at 4 P.M., 63 deg.; at 9, 31 deg..

1ST JUNE.--The sound of a distant shot about noon, which proceeded from
the Doctor firing at a bird, gave us the first notice of the approach of
the other party. Soon after, Mr. Kennedy came in, measuring the line;
and, subsequently, the drays, and the whole of the men in good health.
The cattle had got refreshed without delaying me, and I could now a