the scrub as we returned, and had
gone out of our way. Even to the lagoon, their track along our route was
also plainly visible. I was now, apparently to them, at their request,
leaving the country; and we should soon see if their purpose in visiting
our camp was an honest one, and whether their reasonable and fair demand,
was really all they contemplated on that occasion. Thermometer, at
sunrise, 37 deg.; at noon, 70 deg.; at 4 P.M., 71 deg.; at 9, 65 deg..

13TH AUGUST.--We continued back, along the old track, to beyond Camp
LXVII. I then took the direction of the camp two stages back, in order to
avoid the great detour formerly pursued; the camp without water, and the
thick brigalow. All these we successfully avoided, passing over fine open
forest land, and encountering no brigalow. We found the river on our left
when we required it, and encamped on a plain near the water, and distant
only a few miles from the camp two journies back from LXVII. I was guided
by the bearing of 10 deg. E. of N. We found much of the grass on fire, and
heard the natives' voices although we saw none. We crossed some patches
of dry swamp where the clods had been very extensively turned up by the
natives, but for what purpose Yuranigh could not form any conjecture.
These clods were so very large and hard that we were obliged to throw
them aside, and clear a way for the carts to pass. The whole resembled
ground broken up by the hoe, the naked surface having been previously so
cracked by drought as to render this upturning possible without a hoe.
There might be about two acres in the patch we crossed, and we perceived
at a distance, other portions of the ground in a similar state. The river
had, where we made it, a deep wellmarked channel, with abundance of clear
water in it, and firm accessible banks. It was still, however, enveloped
in a narrow belt of brigalow. The shepherd having most imprudently taken
the sheep to water when it was near sunset, lost his way in the scrub,
and could not be found all night. Some thought he had fallen into the
hands of the aborigines who were closely watching us; and it was obvious
that had they got possession of our sheep, they could have annoyed us
very seriously, or indeed, destroyed the whole party. The night was very
dark, the sky having been overcast. Thermometer, at sunrise, 56 deg.; at
noon, 61 deg.; at 4 P.M., 60; at 9, 60.

14TH AUGUST.--Drizzling rain this morning with an easterly wind, and high
b