BY HON. A. NORTON, M.L.C. 83 



flitted amongst the branches ; human habitations beside the bush 

 roads were less frequent. We were still on the Macquarie River, 

 but the country west of Dubbo was of a quite different character 

 to that near the coast. Twice before the time I write about 

 I had passed through Dubbo, and had found kind friends there ; 

 they knew my father, they told me, and they gave a hearty 

 welcome to the son for his father's sake. After leaving Sydney, 

 tales of treacherous blacks became frequent, and took a 

 more or less definite shape ; two Commissioners for Crown 

 Lands had charge of districts in the " wild west," but 

 these they visited only when compelled to do so ; they 

 lived — one at Molong, the other at some other pleasant 

 spot, but, having at this time to visit their respective districts, 

 they had combined their forces and so formed a strong party as 

 a protection against aboriginal aggression. I had brought no 

 firearms with me ; I had still to travel about 350 miles, and the 

 hotel at which I had put up in Dubbo was the last I should see 

 on the route I had to follow. Nearly every night in future we 

 must camp out ; the horses must be hobbled and forage for 

 themselves. Under the circumstances it would have been folly 

 to continue our journey without carrying protective weapons of 

 some kind. I therefore visited the stores kept by Mr. Serissier, 

 whom I regarded as quite an old friend. He had no personal 

 knowledge of the blacks, but the tales he had heard suggested 

 that persons who went any distance west were exposed to 

 exceptional danger. I did not place absolute faith in these 

 reports, but a gun of some description might prove useful, at 

 any rate it would help to supply our limited larder, so I 

 purchased a fowling-piece and powder and shot. We left 

 Dubbo on 22nd September, and went about 25 miles to a 

 station occupied by Mr. Christie ; he too was a friend of my 

 father and made me welcome ; he was, or had been a partner 

 with Wentworth in the station he managed. On the following 

 day we rode through country which was remarkubly level, the 

 timber a kind of box, which, on account of its pipiness, was 

 described as rotten box. In the morning, however, we passed 

 through a belt of trees which, when I came to Queensland, the 

 broad-leaved ironbark reminded me of. That afternoon we 

 reached a station belonging to W. Lawson, who was away from 

 home ; young Morrisett, was, I think, in charge. After this, we 

 camped every night until I found myself amongst friends on 

 theBarwon. The Macquarie River, which has a wide channel 



