After passing several deep ravines, and going round the heads of others, over a barren country for an hour, the land grew better, and was tolerable, till one o’clock, when it again grew bad and rocky.  The natives informed them that this part of the country was inhabited by the Bidjigals, but that most of the tribe were dead of the small-pox.  Though the country they passed over in their morning’s walk was chiefly poor stony ground, it was covered with timber, and was pleasing to the eye.  At half past one o’clock, the party came to a low piece of ground where they found water, and which, in any future excursion, would be a good sleeping place.  The country continued a dry, arid soil, and the surface was mostly covered with loose stones, till forty minutes past three o’clock, when they came to some pools of good water, which were very acceptable, as one of the party was taken ill.  Here they made fires and laid down for the night.  In the course of the day, they had seen numbers of Pattagorong, and Baggaray; in one herd, it was supposed there could not be less than forty.

Soon after the fires were lighted, the voice of a native was heard in the woods, hunting his dog; and, as Colebe and Ballederry were very desirous of having an interview with him, though they said the tribe of Bu-ru-be-ron-gal, who were bad men and their enemies, resided near the spot, they frequently hallooed, and were answered by the stranger; and, as the voice drew nearer, they desired our party would all lie down and keep silence.  A light was now seen in the woods, and our natives advancing towards it, a pretty long conversation ensued between them and the stranger, who approached them with great precaution:  a little boy who was with him carried the fire, which was a piece of the bark of the tea-tree.  This boy being sent forward first, joined Colebe and Ballederry, who, having told the stranger their names, the tribe to which they belonged, and received the like information from him, they joined, and the stranger was now told the names of the party who remained at the fire; at the same time, some of them were desired to speak.

At Governor Phillip’s approach, the boy ran away, and the man did not appear perfectly at his ease when he saw four or five persons near him, though none of them were armed.  They were all introduced to the stranger by name, and he was pressed to come to their fire, which was forty or fifty yards distant; but this he declined, saying he would go and fetch his family, and would return in the morning.  Colebe and Ballederry told this man that their party were going to the river, which he pointed out as lying in the direction they had taken.