on coming back to the camp.

AGAIN FOLLOWED BY THE NATIVES. DANGER OF THE PARTY.

We afterwards moved forward on our journey as usual; but we had scarcely
proceeded a mile before we heard the savages in our rear and, on my
regaining the Murray, which we reached at about three miles, they were
already on the bank of that river, a little way above where we had come
upon it and consequently as we proceeded along its bank they were behind
us. They kept at a considerable distance; but I perceived through my
glass that the fellow with the cloak carried a heavy bundle of spears
before him.

He comes, not in peace, O Cairbar:
For I have seen his forward spear. Ossian.

LONG MARCH THROUGH A SCRUBBY COUNTRY.

We were then upon a sloping bank or berg,* which was covered backwards
with thick scrub; below it lay a broad reach of still water in an old
channel of the river and which I, for some time, took to be the river
itself. It was most painfully alarming to discover that the knowledge
these savages had acquired of the nature of our arms, by the loss of
several lives last year, did not deter them from following us now with
the most hostile intentions.

(*Footnote. See above.)

DISMAL PROSPECT.

We had endeavoured to prevent them, by the demonstration of sending the
men advancing with firearms, yet they still persisted; and Piper had
gathered from them that a portion of their tribe was still before us. Our
route lay along the bank of a river, peopled by other powerful tribes;
and at the end of 200 miles we could only hope to reach the spot where
the party already following in our rear had commenced the most unprovoked
hostility last season. I had then thought it unsafe to divide my party,
it was already divided now, and the cunning foe was between the two
portions; a more desperate situation therefore than this half of my party
was then in can scarcely be imagined. To attempt to conciliate these
people had last year proved hopeless. Our gifts had only excited their
cupidity, and our uncommon forbearance had only inspired them with a poor
opinion of our courage; while their meeting us in this place was a proof
that the effect of our arms had not been sufficient to convince them of
our superior strength. A drawn battle was out of the question, but I was
assured by Piper and the other young natives that we should soon lose
some of the men in charge of the cattle. Those faithful fellows, on whose
courage my own safety depende