, for he neither exhibited astonishment or curiosity at the
novelties by which he was surrounded. His whole demeanour was that of a
calm and courageous man, who finding himself placed in unusual jeopardy,
had determined not to be betrayed into the slightest display of fear or
timidity.

From the period of our return from the eastward, I had remained quiet in
the camp, watching every change in the sky; I was indeed reluctant to
absent myself for any indefinite period, in consequence of Mr. Poole's
precarious state of health. He had now used all the medicines we had
brought out, and none therefore remained either for him or any one else
who might subsequently be taken ill. As however he was better, on the
12th, I determined to make a second excursion to the eastward, to see if
there were any more natives in the neighbourhood of the grassy plains
than when I was last there. Wishing to get some samples of wood I took
the light cart and Tampawang also, in the hope that he would be of use.

Although the water in the creek had sunk fearfully there was still a
month's supply remaining, but if it had been used by our stock it would
then have been dry. Close to the spot where we had before stopped, there
were two huts that had been recently erected. Before these two fires were
burning, and some troughs of grass seed were close to them, but no native
could we see, neither did any answer to our call. Mr. Browne, however,
observing some recent tracks, ran them down, and discovered a native and
his lubra who had concealed themselves in the hollow of a tree, from
which they crept as soon as they saw they were discovered. The man, we
had seen before, and the other proved to be the frail one who exhibited
such indignation at our rejecting her addresses on a former occasion;
being a talkative damsel, we were glad to renew our acquaintance with
her. We learnt from them that the second hut belonged to an absent native
who was out hunting, the father of a pretty little girl who now obeyed
their signal and came forth. They said the water on the plain had dried
up, and that the only water-holes remaining were to the west, viz. at our
camp, and to the south, where they said there were two water-holes. As
they had informed us, the absent native made his appearance at sunset,
but his bag was very light, so we once more gave them all our mutton; he
proved to be the man Mr. Browne chased on the sand hills, the strongest
native we had seen; he want