5S2 Terra Incognita. [Jo\E, 



when a commodious farm-Louse crowned the summit, surrounded with all 

 the paraphernalia of a prosperous English farm. However, then we had to 

 seek further, to see if any thing still more eligible might offer itself. The 

 land beyond the river was reserved on account of the wild cattle, which 

 ranged uncontrolled over thousands of acres of beautiful country ; now they 

 are all destroyed, and the land has been, I believe, located to settlers. 



A very short time after the first landing at Sydney in 1788, by some 

 accident, two bulls and four cows (all the horned cattle then in the coun- 

 try, except one cow) were lost, and it was thought that the natives had driven 

 them off. Whether that were the case or not, was never determined ; but, 

 some years after, it was found that they had penetrated inland, and, cross- 

 ing this river, settled beyond it, and had increased prodigiously. Still it is 

 a moot-point, whether the government had a right of property in the cattle 

 thus found; none could prove them descended from those which had 

 strayed ; and there were wiseacres who thought that it had as much right to 

 prohibit the hunting of kangaroos as of the wild cattle : both were ferae 

 natures. 



After having pursued the course of the river for some time, we crossed it, 

 and struck inland to see if we could find a forest kangaroo to take back with 

 us the next day, as we were to sleep that night in the woods. Between 

 a creek and a scrub, on a piece of beautiful open country, we descried two 

 fine ones grazing. We immediately drew towards the scrub to cut off 

 their retreat, and then, throwing off, they took the direction of the creek, 

 and two of the dogs (we had three with us) followed them in grand style. 

 At the moment of alarm, however, one of the kangaroos dropped from her 

 false belly, or pouch, a fine young one that was just of age to wean. The 

 little creature sat on its haunches, looking at us with astonishment, as its 

 parents bounded off : one of the men made a spring to catch it but the 

 third dog was before-hand with him, and had it by the neck before he 

 could reach it. We rescued the little animal, and were glad to find it 

 unhurt. Unfortunately, as none of us were mounted, we could not follow 

 the chase ; for the kangaroos leaped across the creek, and left us no chance 

 of taking either of them ; so, calling off the dogs, we contented ourselves 

 with the one taken alive. Such is the readiness with which these animals 

 are tamed, that, on our return to Cabramatta, and on the second or third 

 day after that on which it was caught, the little thing ran off from the 

 house whilst all hands were busy at breakfast but being observed, one of 

 the men was sent after it; and, instead of making its escape to the woods, it 

 no sooner saw him than it ran towards him, and allowed itself to be taken 

 up in his arms without any effort : it fed out of our hands like a lamb, and 

 grew fast. Ten days or a fortnight afterwards, it was taken to Parramatta, 

 where it died in the course of a few months, in consequence of eating some- 

 thing that disagreed with it. 



As the evening was fast closing in, when our brief chase was over, we 

 sought a convenient place to pass the night in, and fortunately found, in a 

 small valley, by a pond of water, a deserted native camp, which we soon 

 broke up, and with the materials formed a hut large enough to shelter us 

 from the dews of the night. The huts the natives make when overtaken 

 by wet weather, are formed of a single piece of stringy bark, about six 

 feet in length, and perhaps two feet wide. This is bent in the middle, and 

 the two -ends being brought to the ground, and fastened with little stakes, 

 an isosceles triangle is made, into which one individual coils himself. With 

 six or eight of these huts, we made a semi-circular one, open in front, and 



