We continued the journey most prosperously, all things considered, and bivouacked beside a large pond two miles beyond our ground of the 23rd May.  We saw natives all about, but they did not venture too near us.  I supposed they were of the tribe which formerly behaved so well when we passed these ponds.  About eight P.M. however we perceived numerous fire-sticks approaching among the bushes; and though I counted nine in motion yet I heard no noise.  I directed the men to be silent, curious to know what these people meant to do.  At length, when the lights had approached within 150 yards of our camp, everyone suddenly disappeared; the bearers preserving all the while the most perfect silence.  I then thought it advisable to scare these natives away, supposing that they were lurking about our camp with the intention to steal.

SCARED BY A ROCKET.

I accordingly placed some men with instructions to rush forward shouting as soon as I should send up a rocket.  Its ascent and our sudden accompanying noise had no doubt a tremendous effect on the natives, for even in the morning they remained at a respectful distance.

August 15.

We began to discover some signs of vegetation in the earth.  Blades of green grass appeared among the yellow stalks, and on the plains we found a new species of Danthonia;* the whole country indeed already wore a better appearance than on any part of the Darling.  We passed our station of 22nd May about a mile and encamped close to a good pond.  Several natives’ huts were near, at which the fires were still burning; the inhabitants having fled; but I forbade the men to go near these huts, or touch a stone hatchet and some carved boomerangs which had been left behind.  A native dog lay as if watching these implements; and it barked on my approaching one of the huts, a circumstance unusual in one of these animals.  Soon after four natives came up shouting, and two of them having advanced in front, sat down, but we took no notice of them, thinking that they had followed from the last camp, and belonged to the fire-stick visitors; they called back the fugitives however and encamped together on a pond lower down.

(Footnote.  Danthonia lappacea, Lindley manuscripts; spicis geminatis foliis brevioribus, palea inferiore sericea cornea; laciniis lateralibus foliatis divaricatis arista rigida brevioribus.)

August 16.

As we moved off about eight this morning the blacks hung about in groups but we paid no attention to them.  We had now, happily for both parties, arrived where the natives had probably heard of firearms, and of the numerous white men beyond the hills, neither were the blacks of these parts ever known to behave like the savages on the lower Darling.  I sought in vain for my lost telescope during this day’s journey; the natives having probably found it, as the whole line of our track was much marked with their footsteps.  We reached our former camp of May 20 and 21 by two o’clock, and again pitched our tents near that spot.