on a direct course, presuming no local obstacles to arise.  These considerations induced me to alter our course to east, which however would be nearly at right angles with that which we imagined the river to have taken, and would therefore enable us to reach it perhaps as soon as on any other course, as we could only infer its probable situation from the nature of the country over which we travelled.  At half past eight o’clock, we again set forward on the above course (east):  it led us generally through a good open grazing country for about eight miles, when it became more broken and hilly; these hills were all covered with grass, their summits and sides rocky, with small stones:  the colour of the soil had been apparently getting darker for some miles, and was now a light, hazel-coloured, sandy loam.  The small blue eucalyptus, so common in the neighbourhood of Bathurst, again made its appearance, taking the place of the box tree; iron and stringy barks of small size were also common on the tops and sides of the hills:  two Sydney or coast plants were also seen.  Between the eighth and ninth mile we ascended a small hill, whence we had a distant view from the south round by the west to north, taking in that tract of country over which we had passed.  Not a hill or eminence of any kind broke the dead level surface of the country in those quarters; and the day was so clear, that had any been within sixty or seventy miles they must have been seen.  From the east to the south was the lofty range before mentioned, and now distant five or six miles:  it was broken and rocky; iron bark trees were however growing on the very summit.  To the north-east and north our view was not more than ten or eleven miles, being broken into low grassy hills of pretty much the same elevation with that on which we stood.  The smoke of several natives’ fires were seen in the range to the eastward, and some to the north-west.  Proceeding about four miles farther to the eastward among those hills, we halted in a pretty valley, having a small run of water in it falling northerly.  We had just pitched our tent when hearing the noise of the stone-hatchet made by a native in climbing a tree, we stole silently upon him, and surprised him just as he was about to descend:  he did not perceive us until we were immediately under the tree; his terror and astonishment were extreme.  We used every friendly motion in our power to induce him to descend, but in vain:  he kept calling loudly, as we supposed for some of his companions to come to his assistance; in the mean time he threw down to us the game he had procured (a ring-tailed opossum), making signs for us to take it up:  in a short time another native came towards us, when the other descended from the tree.  They trembled excessively, and, if the expression may be used, were absolutely intoxicated with fear, displayed in a thousand antic motions, convulsive laughing, and singular motions of the head.  They were both youths not exceeding twenty years of age, of good