ife on his return from acting as our guide, by the chief of
the last tribe. The excessive heat of the weather obliged us to shorten
our journey, and we encamped about noon in some scrub after having
traversed a level country for about eleven miles.

Several considerable plains were noticed to our right, stretching east
and west, which were generally rich in point of soil; but we passed
through much brushy land during the day. It was lamentable to see the
state of vegetation upon the plains from want of moisture. Although the
country had assumed a level character, and was more open than on the
higher branches of the Macquarie, the small freestone elevations,
backing the alluvial tracts near the river, still continued upon our
right, though much diminished in height, and at a great distance from
the banks. They seemed to be covered with cypresses and beef-wood, but
dwarf-box and the acacia pendula prevailed along the plains; while
flooded-gum alone occupied the lands in the immediate neighbourhood of
the stream, which was evidently fast diminishing, both in volume and
rapidity; its bed, however, still continuing to be a mixture of sand
and clay.

The cattle found such poor feed around the camp that they strayed away
in search of better during the night. On such an occasion Botheri and
his fraternity would have been of real service; but he had decamped at
an early hour, and had carried off an axe, a tomahawk, and some bacon,
although I had made him several presents. I was not at all surprised at
this piece of roguery, since cunning is the natural attribute of a
savage; but I was provoked at their running away at a moment when I so
much required their assistance.

Left to ourselves, I found Mr. Hume of the most essential service in
tracking the animals, and to his perseverance we were indebted for
their speedy recovery, They had managed to find tolerable feed near a
serpentine sheet of water, which Mr. Hume thought it would be advisable
to examine. We directed our course to it as soon as the cattle were
loaded, moving through bush, and found it to be a very considerable
creek that receives a part of the superfluous waters of the Macquarie,
and distributes them, most probably, over the level country to the
north. It was much wider than the river, being from fifty to sixty
yards across, and is resorted to by the natives, who procure muscles
from its bed in great abundance. We were obliged to traverse its
eastern bank to it