gentleman, and, as I had no
hatchet or knife to give him, I parted my blanket and gave him half of
it. We then pro ceeded on our journey, attended as before, and at a mile,
came on two huts, at which there were from twelve to fifteen natives.
Here again we were introduced by our long-legged friend, who kept pace
with our animals with ease, and after a short parley once more moved on,
but were again obliged to stop with another tribe, rather more numerous
than the last, who were encamped on a dirty little puddle of water that
was hardly drinkable; however, they very kindly asked us to stay and
sleep, an honour I begged to decline. Thus, in the space of less than
five miles, we were introduced to four different tribes, whose collective
numbers amounted to seventy-one. The huts of these natives were
constructed of boughs, and were of the usual form, excepting those of the
last tribe, which were open behind, forming elliptic arches of boughs,
and the effect was very pretty.

These good folks also asked us to stop, and I thought I saw an expression
of impatience on the countenance of my guide when I declined, and turned
my horse to move on. We had been riding on a sandy kind of bank, higher
than the flooded ground around us. The plains extended on either side to
the north and east, nor could we distinctly trace the creek beyond the
trees at the point we had crossed it, but there were a few gum-trees
separated by long intervals, that still slightly marked its course. When
we left the last tribe, we rode towards a sand hill about half a mile in
front, and had scarcely gone from the huts when our ambassadors, for in
such a light I suppose I must consider them, set off at a trot and
getting a-head of us disappeared over the sand hill. I was too well aware
of the customs of these people, not to anticipate that there was
something behind the scene, and I told Mr. Stuart that I felt satisfied
we had not yet seen the whole of the population of this creek; but I was
at a loss to conjecture why they should have squatted down at such muddy
puddles, when there were such magnificent sheets of water for them to
encamp upon, at no great distance; however, we reached the hill soon
after the natives had gone over it, and on gaining the summit were hailed
with a deafening shout by 3 or 400 natives, who were assembled in the
flat below. I do not know, that my desire to see the savage in his wild
state, was ever more gratified than on this occa