ed the front tooth, but was not circumcised.

In the evening we had a thunder storm, but could have counted the drops
of rain that fell, notwithstanding the thunder was loud and the lightning
vivid. We returned to the Depot on the 13th, and on crossing the plain
Mr. Browne had well nigh captured a jerboa, which sprang from under my
horse's legs, but managed to elude him, and popped into a little hole
before he could approach sufficiently near to strike at it. On reaching
the tents we had the mortification to find Mr. Poole still worse, but I
attributed his relapse in some measure to a depression of spirits. The
old man who had come to the camp the day before we left it, was still
there, and had apparently taken up his quarters between the cart and my
tent. During our absence the men had shewn him all the wonders of the
camp, and he in his turn had strongly excited their anticipations, by
what he had told them.

He appeared to be quite aware of the use of the boat, intimating that it
was turned upside down, and pointed to the N.W. as the quarter in which
we should use her. He mistook the sheep net for a fishing net, and gave
them to understand that there were fish in those waters so large that
they would not get through the meshes. Being anxious to hear what he had
to say I sent for him to my tent, and with Mr. Browne cross-questioned
him.

It appeared quite clear to us that he was aware of the existence of large
water somewhere or other to the northward and westward. He pointed from
W.N.W. round to the eastward of north, and explained that large waves
higher than his head broke on the shore. On my shewing him the fish
figured in Sir Thomas Mitchell's work he knew only the cod. Of the fish
figured in Cuvier's works he gave specific names to those he recognised,
as the hippocampus, the turtle, and several sea fish, as the chetodon,
but all the others he included under one generic name, that of "guia,"
fish.

He put his hands very cautiously on the snakes, and withdrew them
suddenly as if he expected they would bite him, and evinced great
astonishment when he felt nothing but the soft paper. On being asked, he
expressed his readiness to accompany us when there should be water, but
said we should not have rain yet. I must confess this old native raised
my hopes, and made me again anxious for the moment when we should resume
our labours, but when that time was to come God only knew.

It had been to no purpose that we ha