off, and, by the time we gained the height, they had
retired to a considerable distance, still shouting vociferously. Two,
however, were seen drawing round our left flank, in a little gully,
followed by a female carrying spears. I discharged my rifle over their
heads, upon which they hastened to their fellows. On firing another shot
over the dark noisy mass before us, they became suddenly quite silent,
probably persuaded that we were really in earnest. We marched through
their camp, made a feint, by descending into a gully, of coming upon them
unawares, and continued there, until silence and darkness secured our
peaceful occupation of the ground. Thus I prevented a night of alarms and
noise, which might have been kept up until morning, and until they had
worked themselves into that sort of frenzy, without which I do not think
they have courage to fight Europeans; and having once got their steam up,
they were sure to have followed us, and gathered a savage population in
our rear. Lat., 25 deg. 54' 17" S. Thermometer, at sunrise, 56 deg.; at 4 P. M.,
70; at 9, 50 deg.. (XXXIII.)

10TH JUNE.--We advanced at an early hour, crossing Possession Creek, for
so we called it (and which proved rather an impediment, until we filled a
hollow with logs), and followed my horse's tracks of yesterday. Thus we
reached the little river in good time, notwithstanding much heavy sand in
the way of our carts, and encamped at the furthest point I had previously
visited. Thermometer, at sunrise, 30 deg.; at 4 P.M., 75 deg.; at 9, 39 deg.. Height
above the sea, 1240 feet. (XXXIV.)

11TH JUNE.--Keeping along the bank of the rocky river, we were obliged to
turn southward, and even S.S.E., such was the direction whence the river
came. I therefore encamped the party, after a journey of only 31/2 miles,
and proceeded to explore again, towards the N. W. I thus came upon the
rocky river where the rock formed a bridge affording an easy means of
crossing it, and this I valued more, as being the only passable place I
had seen in it, so deep and rocky was the bed elsewhere. The strata at
this bridge dipped N. N. E., a circumstance which induced me to travel
westward instead of N. W., in hopes to cross thereby sooner, a synclinal
line, and so arrive at the sources of some northern river. We passed
through some scrub, and attained, by gradual ascent, considerable
elevation. The country in general consisted of open forest, and contained
grass in great abunda