170 Mr. A. A. Leycester^s Excursion 



of water for culinary purposes of any kind ; nor do they em- 

 ploy it in their toilet, but use instead the aforesaid mixture of 

 charcoal and grease. This is generally the work of the evening, 

 when they assist one another in polishing. When this is com- 

 pleted they shine like a glass, and consider themselves dressed for 

 their "opera/^ which consists of music, dancing, singing, and 

 acting of various kinds. 



Having finished dinner, I ring the horse-bell as a signal to be 

 moving. The blacks jump up and shoulder their guns, and 

 start off with the dog in search of game. Polly packs herself 

 and starts, not waiting for me, and anxious to get her journey 

 over, I saddle and pack the horses and follow, first looking 

 round the camp to see if any knives, pipes, or tomahawks are 

 left behind. I start the pack-horse first : he knows the way 

 and gives me no trouble, but does his best to get over the rugged 

 road, knowing that plenty of grass is before him at the next 

 camp. The road being very rocky and precipitous renders it 

 impossible to go faster than a walk. About half an hour after 

 leaving camp, I overtook the gin having a "spell" halfway up 

 a steep ridge. Here I was also obliged to take a spell, and give 

 the horses wind. After a few minutes we started again, and in 

 about half an hour reached the top of the ridge, which was 

 pretty high. Through a glade in the brush we saw at a distance 

 Bald Hill, where our next camp was to be. 



This spot was an old camping- ground of mine (called by the 

 blacks "Byangully"), and replete with every comfort a bush- 

 camp in Australia can afford — that of grass, water, and game in 

 abundance and of the best kind. It was a small prairie* on 

 a bold hill, surrounded by a dense brush, twenty miles distant 

 from the open country we had left behind. Whilst looking at 

 our home that was to be for the night (distant about six miles), 

 we suddenly heard a great shouting in a deep ravine about a 

 mile below us. Polly thereupon became much frightened, and 

 said the Tabbo blacks had come, and that they would murder 

 her (Billy and Davy being at war with her tribe for stealing a 

 young gin from them about two moons since). More shout- 

 ing and two shots were heard, and then a general shout and 

 * A grassy hill bare of trees is so called in Australia. 



