what
before their brethren further eastward as rational beings. These
permanent huts seemed also to indicate a race of more peaceful and
settled habits, for where the natives are often at war such habitations
could neither be permanent nor safe. The river was here itself again, and
not contracted as at the last encampment.

INTERVIEW WITH THE RED TRIBE.

June 23.

Early this morning the natives were heard hailing us from the woods, and
as soon as I had breakfasted I advanced to them with Burnett. They were
seventeen in number, and five or six of the foremost held out green
boughs. I also pulled one, but they called to me and beckoned me to lay
aside my sword, which I accordingly did, and then they all sat down. They
had good, expressive countenances, but they were not strong-looking men.
One, whose physiognomy I thought very prepossessing, and much improved by
the cheeks and other features being coloured red, appeared to be their
chief. He sat in the middle of the front row, and though he said but
little yet he was addressed by the more forward and talkative. This
rough, manly, rosy-faced fellow was such a figure as Neptune or Jupiter
are usually represented; he had also a flowing beard. The group were
almost all marked with the smallpox. I could not gain any certain
information from them about the course of the river or the bearing of the
nearest sea; but they all pointed to the north-north-west when I made
signs of rowing in water, or of large waves, etc. On quitting them I
presented the king with a greyhound pup and a tomahawk. A total ignorance
of the nature of the latter was a proof that we were indeed strangers to
them; for, although the tool had a handle, they knew not what use to make
of it until I showed them. We left them quite delighted with both gifts,
which were doubtless as important to them as the discovery of a sea would
then have been to me. The journey of this day opened prospects the most
promising for such a discovery, for the river from that bend pursued a
more westerly course. Ranges beyond ranges arose also in the south-west,
while vast plains, without any indication of the Darling among them,
extended before us to the west-south-west. I had some trouble indeed to
get as near to the river as was indispensable for encampment; but at
length we halted on a firm bit of ground, close to a very sharp bend in
its course.

HOW TO AVOID THE SANDY HILLS AND SOFT PLAINS.

June 24.

We possessed nearl