en by one of the Darling tribe in returning to
the river. I therefore directed him, as he generally superintended the
issue of presents and provisions to the natives, to stop all further
supplies. The old boocolo failed in his endeavours to recover the flag,
and the natives who visited the camp were evidently under restraint. On
the following day the boocolo came to my tent, and I spoke angrily to
him. "Why," I asked, "has the black fellow taken that which did not
belong to him? I do not take anything from you. I do not kill your
kangaroos or take your fish." The old man was certainly much annoyed, and
went out of the tent to our fire, at which there were several natives
with whom he had an earnest conversation; this terminated by two of them
starting for the Darling, from whence, on the following day, they brought
back the flag and staff, which they said had been taken by three of the
Darling natives as they had stated already. Probably such was the case,
and we admitted the excuse.

The base line was completed on the 19th, and measured six miles. I was
anxious to have made it of greater length, but the ground would not admit
of it. The angles were necessarily very acute; but the bearings were
frequently repeated, and found to agree. I was the less anxious on the
point because my intention was to check any error by another line as soon
as I could.

The position we had taken up was a very favourable one, since being on
the right or northern bank of the creek, we were, by the flooding of the
lake, cut off from the Darling natives. I now therefore determined on
making an excursion into the interior to the N.W., to examine the ranges
seen by Mr. Poole, and to ascertain if, as he supposed, there was a body
of water to the westward of them. With this view I engaged Topar to
accompany us, and on the 21st left the camp, with Mr. Browne, Flood, and
Morgan, taking the light cart with our provisions and some water-casks.
During the recent rains the weather had been very cold, but excessive
heat succeeded it. The day before we started the thermometer rose as high
as 112 degrees during a violent hot wind; and certainly if the following
day had been equally warm we could not have proceeded on our journey.
Fortunately for us, however, the wind shifted to the S.W. during the
night, and the morning was cool and refreshing. I should have commenced
this trip two or three days earlier, but on the 20th we were surprised by
the reappearanc