rain fell early in the morning but about midday the weather
cleared up. We had not proceeded far before I was stopped by the Bogan,
the course of which I found at length to come more from the south. I had
been fortunate in the line which I had pursued as the supposed direction
of this river, above the part previously surveyed. This was on the
bearing of 139 1/2 degrees, and chosen after considering the position of
hills and other circumstances relative, and I now found that this line
nearly cut through our three last camps on the river. We were at length
to turn southward, and this still appeared to be the main channel,
judging by the breadth of the bed and the long deep ponds of water.
Indeed we had no longer any apprehensions about finding water while
travelling along the main channel; and this day we crossed over ground
well covered with grass.

MEET THE NATIVES WHO FIRST ACCOMPANIED US.

During our progress along this unsurveyed part of the Bogan we had
several times heard the natives and called to them, but they could not be
induced to come near us. Today however I saw smoke at a distance, and
hastened towards it with Burnett who succeeded (although the rest of the
tribe fled) in intercepting one individual between him and me who proved
to be our old friend Bultje, the very intelligent native who had formerly
been our guide. The rest of the tribe soon returned, and gathering around
us they all seemed much amused with our relation (and representations) of
the conduct of the Myall blackfellows on the Darling. They could not
afford any explanation of those ceremonies which appeared to be as
strange to them as they had been to us. The only observation of Bultje,
on learning that some of them had been shot, was "Stupid whitefellows!
why did you not bring away the gins?" We eagerly enquired whether he knew
anything of one whitefellow of ours who had been lost, but he appeared
surprised to hear it.

ARRIVE AT A CATTLE STATION.

He told us however that we were near a cattle station where two white men
had been recently established, having come from the colony along our
track over the mountains. I hastened towards the dwelling of these white
men, and the symmetrical appearance of their stockyard fence, when it
first caught my eye, so long accustomed to the wavy lines of simple
nature, looked quite charming as a work of art. Our hearts warmed at the
very sight of the smoking chimney; and on riding up to the hut I need not