without success. Mr. Browne walked with me to the tree at which
he was working, and I found that his only tool was a stone tomahawk, and
that with such an implement he would hardly finish his work before dark.
I therefore sent for an iron tomahawk, which I gave to him, and with
which he soon had the bark cut and detached. He then prepared it for
launching by puddling up its ends, and putting it into the water, placed
his lubra and an infant child in it, and giving her a rude spear as a
paddle pushed her away from the bank. She was immediately followed by a
little urchin who was sitting on the bank, the canoe being too fragile to
receive him; but he evidently doubted his ability to gain the opposite
bank of the river, and it was most interesting to mark the anxiety of
both parents as the little fellow struck across the foaming current. The
mother kept close beside him in the canoe, and the father stood on the
bank encouraging his little son. At length they all landed in safety,
when the native came to return the tomahawk, which he understood to have
been only lent to him. However I was too much pleased with the scene I
had witnessed to deprive him of it, nor did I ever see a man more
delighted than he was when he found that the tomahawk, the value and
superiority of which he had so lately proved was indeed his own. He
thanked me for it, he eyed it with infinite satisfaction, and then
turning round plunged into the stream and joined his family on the
opposite bank.

We journeyed as usual over the river flats, and occasionally crossed
narrow sandy parts projecting into them. From one of these Mr. Poole was
the first to catch a glimpse of the hills for which we had been looking
out so long and anxiously. They apparently formed part of a low range,
and bore N.N.W. from him, but his view was very indistinct, and a small
cone was the only marked object he could distinguish. He observed a line
of gum-trees extending to the westward, and a solitary signal fire bore
due west from him, and threw up a dark column of smoke high into the sky
above that depressed interior. A meridian altitude placed us in latitude
32 degrees 33 minutes 0 seconds S., from which it appeared that we were
not more than eight or ten miles from Laidley's Ponds, but we halted
short of them, and received visits from a great many of the natives
during the afternoon, who came to us with their families, a circumstance
which led me to hope that we should get on v