wo boys, his humble servants; and this native
party usually explored the woods with our dogs for several miles in front
of the column. The females kept nearer the party, and often gave us
notice of obstacles in time to enable me to avoid them. My question on
such occasions was Dago nyollong yannagary? (Which way shall we go? ) to
which one would reply, pointing in the proper direction, Yalyai
nyollong-yannar! (Go that way.) Depending chiefly on the survey for my
longitude, my attention was for the most part confined to the
preservation of certain bearings in our course by frequent observations
of the pocket compass; but in conducting carts where no roads existed,
propitiating savage natives, taking bearings and angles, observing rocks,
soil and productions, so much care and anxious attention was necessary
that I believe I was indebted to the sympathy even of my aboriginal
friends for the zealous aid they at all times afforded.

Notwithstanding the obvious necessity for closely watching the cattle,
they had been suffered to ramble nine miles up the river during the
night; and were not brought back to the camp until noon. This unusual and
untoward circumstance was the more surprising as the whole country along
the riverbank was covered with good grass. Whether they had instinctively
set off towards the upper country, where most of them were bred; or that
want of water after a hard day's work had occasioned such restlessness,
it was difficult to say; but they wandered even beyond the camp that we
reached this day in a journey commenced however only at half-past 12.

NATIVES VERY SHY.

The natives peeped over the reeds at us from a considerable distance; and
some of those whom Piper saw when in search of the men with the cattle,
immediately jumped into the river, carrying their spears and boomerangs
with them. We had not proceeded above a mile and a half when I perceived
among the reeds close to the berg on which we were travelling a small,
deep and still branch of the river, apparently connected with numerous
others, in all of which the water was quite still, although it had the
same muddy colour as that flowing in the river, and they seemed to be
equally deep. These still channels wound in all directions among the
reeds. Further on the water was not even confined to such canals, large
spaces between them being inundated, and lofty gum (or yarra) trees stood
even in the water. Light appeared at length through the wood bef