lat country and beautiful meadows, furnishing pasture
for the kangaroos and emus, several of which they saw. The timber was
observed to run small, and to be thinly scattered about, there being
scarcely ten trees upon an acre of ground. The quality of them was known
in the settlement, where a similar timber was called the Black Wattle.

On the 28th their course was still WSW and their distance increased 20
miles in that direction. The land and the timber on it were much the same
as they had seen the preceding day. In one part they ascended a hill,
from which they obtained a view of the country for some distance round.
To the northward it seemed to be open, and thinly clad with timber: to
the north-westward they saw some high mountains, and an appearance of
much good land in that direction: to the westward they observed a deep
break in the land; this they conjectured to be formed by a river, which,
if one, laid in a SE and NW direction. To the southward the land seemed
high, but still open. In the course of this day's journey they met with a
party of the natives, who appeared much terrified, and instantly ran away
from them. One of the party, however, pursued and came up with a woman
and child, whom he detained, from an opinion that the men might be
thereby induced to return; but, although she remained with them the whole
of the night, which she passed in tears and lamentations, not knowing
what fate might await her, the men did not appear. They, therefore, made
her a present of a small hatchet, and in the morning sent her back to her
friends. Wilson, understanding something of the language of these
mountain natives, hoped to have gained some information of the country
from this woman; but she could not comprehend him.

These natives were all clothed with garments of skins of different
animals, which reached from their shoulders down to their heels.

On the 29th, they again travelled 24 miles in the same direction. During
the first four miles the country was not good, the ground being rocky and
covered with low shrubs, and here and there intersected with creeks,
which appeared all to run toward some river, probably to that which from
the top of the hill they supposed to be one. At the head of those creeks
they saw several falls of water, one of which fell at the least 40 feet,
and two others not less than 20 feet each. They now walked to the
northward for 12 miles, thinking to get round the heads of the creeks;
but unfor