observed since our arrival on the banks of this
large river. Emus appeared to be numerous but very wild; pelicans
abounded on the lagoons, and seemed to be remarkably tame, considering
the remains of them which we saw at the old fires of the natives. It was
obvious on various occasions however that the first appearance of such
large quadrupeds as bullocks and horses did not scare the emu or
kangaroo, but that, on the contrary, when they would have run at the
first appearance of their enemy, man, when advancing singly, they would
allow him to approach mounted, and even to dismount, fire from behind a
horse, and load again, without attempting to run off.

JUNCTION OF THE GWYDIR.

At length we perceived that the ground sloped towards the south, and at
the distance of about four miles from where we had slept we made the
Gwydir. The course of this river was as tortuous as at our last camp upon
it, which could not be distant more than fourteen or fifteen miles. The
volume of water was so much reduced that in shallows, where alone the
current could be perceived, I could step across it. This stream could not
therefore contribute much to that I was tracing, and in search of which I
now turned westward. On this course the windings of the Gwydir often came
in my way, so that I turned to north 25 degrees east, in which direction
I at length reached the large river, which had been the object of our
excursion. Here it was, indeed, a noble sheet of water, and I regretted
much that this had not been our first view of it, that we might have
realised, at least for a day or two, all that we had imagined of the
Kindur. I now overlooked, from a bank seventy feet high, a river as broad
as the Thames at Putney; and on which the goodly waves, perfectly free
from fallen timber, danced in full liberty. A singular-looking
diving-bird, carrying only its head above water, gave a novel appearance
to this copious reservoir: and there was a rich alluvial flat on the
opposite bank.

I could not however perceive much current in these waters, and I traced
the stream downwards, anxious to discover that this breadth and magnitude
continued; but I was undeceived on arriving at a slight fall where the
river was traversed by another rocky dyke similar to those seen higher
up, and over which it fell in a small body like that in the rapid near
the camp. Below this fall the river bore no such imposing appearance, but
assumed that which it wore at the various