NARRATIVE OF MR. CARRON. 141 



not SO deep. Several natives^ who had not yet 

 seen our horses, assembled on the banks of the river 

 to see them cross, and when they came out of the 

 water commenced shouting* to frig-hten them, con- 

 tinuing- their noise for about twenty minutes. 

 Seeing- at leng-th, however, that the beasts submitted 

 to be led quietly along- the beach, they came near 

 the camp, and we made them a present of a few 

 fish-hooks. They . returned to their camp before 

 sunset. 



The river we crossed this day was not so deep as 

 either of the former ones. There is, apparently, a 

 sandbank across all the rivers empt} ing- themselves 

 into Rocking-ham Bay, near the mouth, and this 

 one formed no exception to the rule. The tide runs 

 up "v^ery strongl}' — I should think for a mile and 

 a-half or two miles. 



There is a mang-rove swamp running" up some 

 distance on the northern side of the river, till it joins 

 the fresh water swamps. There is not so much fresh 

 water running- out of this river as from the last, and 

 fresh water is only procurable from its south side 

 near the swamp — it being- impossible to penetrate 

 the scrub on the northern side to obtain it. At low 

 water the riA er is very shallow, with a muddy 

 bottom. 



June \^th. — On our mustering- tliis morning-, 

 Carpenter was missed from the camp. It was dis- 

 covered that he had absconded during- the nig-ht, 

 carr3qng' off with him a damper weig'hing- about 



