telling him that we might be starved for a day or
two, but that we should most certainly find our party again, could not do
more than appease his anxiety for a few moments. The next morning, the
21st, we proceeded, but kept a little more to the westward, and crossed a
fine openly timbered country; but all the creeks went either to the east
or to the north. At last, after a ride of about four miles, Brown
recognized the place where we had breakfasted on the 19th, when all his
gloom and anxiety disappeared at once. I then returned on my south-east
course, and arrived at the camp about one o'clock in the afternoon; my
long absence having caused the greatest anxiety amongst my companions. I
shall have to mention several other instances of the wonderful quickness
and accuracy with which Brown as well as Charley were able to recognize
localities which they had previously seen. The impressions on their
retina seem to be naturally more intense than on that of the European;
and their recollections are remarkably exact, even to the most minute
details. Trees peculiarly formed or grouped, broken branches, slight
clevations of the ground--in fact, a hundred things, which we should
remark only when paying great attention to a place--seem to form a kind
of Daguerreotype impression on their minds, every part of which is
readily recollected.

I rejoined my party at the creek which comes from Mount Stewart. The
natives had approached Mr. Gilbert when out shooting, with a singular,
but apparently friendly, noise: "Ach! Ach! Ach!" They had heard the cooce
of my blackfellow Charley, and thought Mr. Gilbert wanted them; but, as
he was alone, he thought it prudent to retire to the camp.

The thunder-storm, which we experienced on the night of the 19th, had
completely changed the aspect of the country round Mount Stewart. All the
melon-holes of the scrub, all the ponds along the creeks, all the
water-holes in the beds of the creeks, were full of water; the creek at
which we encamped, was running; the grass looked fresh and green; the
ground, previously rotten, was now boggy, and rendered travelling rather
difficult; but we were always at home, for we found water and grass
everywhere.

The days from the 17th to the 23rd were exceedingly hot, but, during the
early morning and the evening, the air was delightfully cool. Light
casterly and northerly winds stirred during the day. Cumuli passed from
the same quarters; and generally gathered durin