VICINITY OF THE RIVER. 241 



cheerfulness to the traveller, as well as to the 

 whole animal creation. The numerous feathered 

 tribe welcome him with songs and chirpings, 

 rarely heard in the less watered and gloomy 

 places, so much abounding in the colony : a 

 livelier green is seen in the foliage of the trees ; 

 pasturage and flowering shrubs cast a beauty 

 over the soil, and the journey about such places 

 is less fatiguing, because it is more interesting 

 and cheering. It was not long since that marked 

 trees alone guided the traveller to these stations ; 

 whereas, now a well-beaten road, passable even 

 for gigs, has been formed, making travelling 

 upon it very agreeable. 



On my arrival at this station, I found a num- 

 ber of the native blacks collected about, all, even 

 the ladies, in a state of nudity, " naked, but 

 not ashamed :" some were busily employed in 

 making rude spears, by sharpening the point of 

 a long stick, which was afterwards hardened in 

 the fire : they were preparing to hunt their 

 " evening prey." " Give them," the men at 

 the stations observe, " ever so much bread or 

 meat, still they will hunt opossum and other 

 game." The spears they used, were twelve or 

 fourteen feet in length. On a sunny day, when 

 there is little wind, the water clear, and com- 



