say with what pleasure I recognised two men of our own race. On seeing my
pedestrian companions however, armed, feathered, and in rags; these white
men were growing whiter, until I briefly told them who we were, and that
we really were not bushrangers. They said a bushranger on horseback had
been seen in that country only a few days before by the natives, at whom
he had fired a pistol when they had nearly caught him at a waterhole. I
was glad to ascertain the fact, even in this shape, that my courier
Baldock, whom they of course meant, had got safely so far with my
despatches.

LEARN THAT MR. CUNNINGHAM HAD BEEN KILLED BY NATIVES.

One of these men having but lately left the settled districts had seen in
the newspapers an account of one of my party having been killed by
natives; and he stated that the names of four natives and two gins were
mentioned, adding that the person murdered was supposed to have been my
man in charge of the sheep. My informant also pointed towards where the
white man was said to have been killed, as indicated by the blacks; and
this was exactly where our distressing loss befell us. I was also
informed that the natives thereabouts were now in dread of the arrival of
soldiers, and thus, for the first time, I learned that poor Cunningham
had really been murdered by these savages. Intelligence of this kind
often travels in exaggerated shapes through the medium of the natives;
and I had lately been anxious to see some of them, as many of those so
near the colony can speak very well. Now we understood why the Bogan was
deserted. The non-appearance of the chief who had been so obsequious on
our going down was perhaps a suspicious circumstance when connected with
the fact that a silk handkerchief had been seen on the first of that
tribe whom we met, and the strange movements and bustle which took place
among those at our camp at Cudduldury during my absence of four days.

The station which we had reached was occupied by the cattle of Mr. Lee of
Bathurst; the two stockmen, for such the white men proved to be, seemed
to have enough to do to keep the natives in good humour as the only means
of finding the cattle or securing their own safety among the savage
tribes. With the latter object probably in view they seemed to have
encouraged the expectation of soldiers on the part of the natives about
them. Soldiers have been too seriously instrumental in the civilisation
of the aborigines, wherever they have