CHAPTER XV 



RAMBLES IN THE DESERT 



The 1st May was a very hot day, and the sky was quite 

 cloudless. Chuckabe found the tracks of about twenty 

 natives who had been prowling round the camp, and these 

 had gone off towards the east, the direction we wished to 

 take. During the forenoon we sighted fifteen of them 

 standing and watching us from the distance of about a 

 mile. They appeared quite suddenly from a hollow place 

 or gully. As it was highly desirable to be on friendly 

 terms with these wild fellows, I made peaceable signals to 

 them, and after a time they came up to us. Some of them 

 had been in the townships about the course of the Swan ; 

 and one said he had been to Perth. He showed a clasp- 

 knife which he had obtained there in confirmation of his 

 assertion ; and some of the others had articles which 

 must have been purchased, or purloined, at the settle- 

 ments. 



Those of the blacks who had been in communication 

 with the whites at the townships were disposed to be 

 friendly; the others were not so, and were guilty of 

 behaviour which greatly tried our patience. They begged 

 incessantly; and to win their goodwill I gave them 

 several articles which were really of more use to us than 

 to them. One fellow was particularly covetous, and not 

 content with what I had given him, wanted my gun in 

 addition ; and this being repeatedly refused, at length he 

 seized it, and tried to wrench it from my hands. To 

 prevent his doing so, I was compelled to knock him 

 down, and this necessary violence gave great offence to 



