become civil, to be soon forgotten;
and the warfare by which the Bathurst settlers were first established in
security would be remembered, no doubt, with some apprehension of the
consequences of this last act of barbarism. The stockmen informed me that
I should meet with another cattle station which had been established by
Mr. Pike where my route crossed Goobang creek. The fact that the stock of
the settlers already extends over all available land within reach of the
present limits of location is clearly exhibited by the speedy occupation
of these two stations. They are placed on the only two good tracts of
land crossed by our party before we reached the arid plains of the
interior. Even my boat depot on the Namoi, the terra incognita made known
only by my first despatch, was immediately after occupied as a cattle-run
by the stock-keepers of Sir John Jamieson.

COOKOPIE PONDS.

The Bogan still coming from the south-east, we continued our journey in
that direction for four miles beyond the cattle station and then halted.
Near this camp two branches of the Bogan united, and the one which came
from the eastward appeared to contain most water. I calculated that we
were within eleven miles of Cookopie; a pond in our old track at which we
had encamped on the 13th of April, and which bore south-east from this
camp. Here we killed our last remaining sheep but one: and it was worthy
of remark that, after travelling upwards of 1100 miles, it was found to
be fatter and weigh more by two pounds than any of those which had been
previously killed as we proceeded, although the best had been always
selected for slaughter. It appears thus how well a wandering and
migratory life agrees with sheep in this hemisphere, as of old in the
other. Ours gave very little trouble, and at length became so tame that
they followed the horses or cattle like dogs. The sheep were leanest on
the Darling, and on their way back their improved appearance was
remarkable.

September 10.

Accompanied by four natives and a boy we continued our journey, and as my
reckoning since I deviated from our old route had been by time only, I
allowed a black named Old-Fashioned and the boy to guide us to Cookopie.
In going south-west we soon crossed the first creek, and for some way
could not proceed on the bearing which led to the other as the natives
pointed, and which had the best ponds in it. At length its course came
more from the northward, and we travelled on go