inually repeating the words "white fellow." I had not
retired to my tent five minutes when I heard Baldock (one of the two men
on watch) several times desire the natives to go back, who, as it
appeared, would insist on coming forward to our fires. Serjeant Niblet
then called me, saying he thought "all was not right," that the natives
refused to keep away, and that he had seen the fire sticks of others
approaching from several directions. On turning out, I found them making
a line of fires within twenty-five yards or less of our tents, and the
grass on fire, the old man urging them on in their mischievous work. I
called to them in the language of some of the aborigines, to go away
quickly, using the words "Yau-a-ca-burri!" but seeing that they still
drew nearer with their fires, to the imminent danger of the camp, I
desired the men, who by this time had got ready with their arms, to
charge them with a shout, but not to fire until they received orders. We
succeeded in making them run; when, to add to their alarm, one or two
shots were fired in the air. In their haste, they left the old hat I had
given them, an iron tomahawk, and a few other implements, behind them,
all of which I caused to be left untouched, in order to show them that we
had only objected to their intrusion. All being quiet, and the cattle
brought close to the camp, I added a third man to the morning watch, and
no more was heard of the natives." This was a specimen of the treacherous
nature of their mode of warfare, and very characteristic of the
aborigines, but by no means so creditable to them, as the conduct of our
neighbours at this camp, where the arrival of the other party was likely
to convince them still more, that they could not induce us to quit that
position, until we thought proper to do so. I had instructed Mr. Kennedy
to continue the numbering of the camps; but as the drays could not keep
pace with mine, only some of my camps have been so numbered, the others
marked being those where his party had passed the night. This depot camp
was, thus, No. XXIX, and the numbers of such others of mine as have been
marked between this and VIII., shall be added to this journal, and the
whole marked on the map. A new species of CALLITRIS appeared among the
trees, the ACACIA STENOPHYLLA, and the large leaved variety of ACACIA
DECORA, further removed than usual from the common form, and approaching,
in some respects, to A. RUBIDA. Among the bushes was the beaut