d
the satisfaction of learning from him, that he had written for his
family, and that he soon expected their arrival in the colony. He
immediately gave grain to our horses, and placed before us new milk; and,
what we found a still greater luxury, pure water from the running burnie
close by; also a bottle of the mountain dew, which, he said, was from a
still which was no far aff. When I was about to mount my horse, he
enquired if I could spare five minutes more, when he put into my hands
the copy of a long memorial addressed to the government, which he had
taken from among the leaves of a very old folio volume of Pitscottie's
History of Scotland. This memorial prayed, that whereas Scoone was in the
valley of Strathearne, and that the pillow of Jacob which had been kept
as the coronation stone of the Kings of Scotland, was fated still to be,
where their dominion extended; and as this valley of the Kingdon Ponds,
had not received a general name, that it might be called Strathearne,
etc. etc. We were finally compelled, although it still wanted two hours
of noon, to drink a stirrup-cup at the door--when he most heartily drank
success to our expedition, and I went on my way rejoicing that, on
leaving the last man of the white race we were likely to see for some
time, the ceremony of shaking hands was a vibration of sincere kindness.

We soon overtook the party--and had proceeded with it, some distance,
when a soldier of the mounted police came up, and delivered to me a
letter, from the military secretary at Sydney, informing me by command of
the Acting Governor, that George Clarke--alias The Barber (The
Bushranger) had sawed off his irons, and escaped from the prison at
Bathurst. This intelligence was meant to put me on my guard respecting
the natives, for from the well-known character of the man, it was
supposed, that he would assemble them beyond the settled districts, with
a view to drive off the cattle of the colonists--and especial caution
would be necessary to prevent a surprise from natives so directed, if, as
most people supposed, his story of the great river, had only been an
invention of his own, by which he had hoped to improve his chance of
escape. (See Appendix 1.1.)

BURNING HILL OF WINGEN.

At three P.M. we reached a spot favourable for encamping, the Kingdon
brook forming a broad pool, deep enough to bathe in, and the grass in the
neighbourhood being very good. The burning hill of Wingen was distant
about f