a distance of about
three miles short of our old camp at Rodrigo Ponds.

FUNERAL DIRGE BY A NATIVE FEMALE.

While I stood near this spot, awaiting the arrival of the party which was
still at some distance, I overheard a female singing. The notes were
pleasing and very different from the monotonous strains of the natives in
general. Just then I had been admiring the calm repose of the surrounding
landscape, gilded by the beams of a splendid setting sun, and
anticipating a quiet night for the party. The soft sounds, so expressive
of tranquillity and peace, were in perfect unison with the scene around.
Nothing could have been more romantic, nevertheless I could most
willingly have dispensed with the accompaniment at that time, so
associated were all our ideas of the natives, with murder and pillage.
When my men came up I directed them to give a hurra, in hopes that it
would put the party, whoever they might be, to flight. Yet after a cheer
about as rough as English throats could well utter, the sweet strain, to
my surprise, continued,

And bade the lovely scenes at distance hail.

But this was not the song of hope, but of despair, at least so it sounded
to me under the circumstances, and so it really proved to be, as I
afterwards ascertained.

Men's voices were also heard, as we proceeded quietly to our old ground,
and I could not help regretting that after having given the natives on
the Gwydir the slip, and seen no others the whole day, we should again
find the very spot on which we were to pass the night, pre-occupied by
natives. Our party set up their tents, and the song ceased, but I
proceeded with Mr. White towards the place whence the voices came. We
there saw several persons amid smoke, and apparently regardless of our
presence; indeed, their apathy, as compared with the active vigilance of
the natives in general, was surprising. A young man continued to beat out
a skin against a tree without caring to look at us, and as they made no
advance we did not go up to them. Mr. White, on visiting their fires
however at ten P.M. found that they had decamped.

All this seemed rather mysterious until the nature of the song I had
heard was explained to me afterwards at Sydney by The Bushranger when I
visited him in the hulk on my return. He then imitated the notes, and
informed me that they were sung by females when mourning for the dead;
and he added that on such occasions it was usual for the relatives of the
deceas