m 



230 THE PORT DARWIN DISTRICT 



These people had also dug up the gardens in search of 

 roots, hacked some of the trees, and made their fire places 

 on what had formerly been lawns. There were signs that 

 the hostile blacks often approached to within a few miles 

 of Palmerston. The occupied outlying settlements were 

 very few in number, and not established at any great 

 distance from the Port. 



We reached the head of the Adelaide River on the 

 afternoon of the 19th September, and camped there in a 

 thick grove of trees, which we penetrated to some distance 

 in the hope of hiding our fire from any prowling blacks 

 who might chance to be in the neighbourhood. The 

 country is a flat plain about here, the Adelaide appearing 

 to rise in the only elevated ground we could see — a range 

 of low hills to the southward. The plain is well wooded, 

 and the scrub a kind of jungle, which makes travelling 

 dangerous, as the hostile blacks have excellent oppor- 

 tunities under its cover of creeping up unseen. 



There being signs of the presence in the neighbourhood 

 of a considerable tribe of the natives, we spent an anxious 

 night. Once or twice during the night one of my black- 

 boys and myself quitted the shelter of the wood and went 

 on the plain to reconnoitre. We could see five or six fires 

 burning brightly at an apparent distance of two miles ; 

 and it was the opinion of my black that our tracks had 

 been discovered. 



This was no doubt the case, for when we resumed 

 our journey in the morning, a party of forty armed men 

 stood near the wood and watched our movements. They 

 did not make any threatening movement, and after 

 following us some distance they closed in and surrounded 

 us. They were not very friendly ; still, they refrained from 

 any active display of hostility. My blackboys seemed to 

 be the object of their greatest dislike, at which I was 

 surprised. I suppose, however, that patriotism may have 

 been at the bottom of their enmity, and that their feelings 

 were akin to those of the Highlanders for the " lowland 

 carls who let the enemy in." These blacks accepted a few 

 presents from my hand ; and about noon the whole tribe 



