12 FRIENDLY NATIVES. 



vast desert, the head of which, near Lake Torrens, 

 is not more than three hundred feet above the level of 

 the sea. The coast being surrounded by hilly ranges, 

 the great falls of rain that must occasionally occur 

 in the interior, may convert a vast extent of the 

 central and lowest portion, towards the north side 

 of the continent, into a great morass, or lake, 

 which, from the northerly dip, must discharge its 

 waters slowly into the Gulf of Carpentaria, without 

 possessing sufficient stability to mark either its bed 

 or boundaries. 



To return to the party of natives which has given 

 rise to this digression. They had clearly never seen 

 a white person before ; for they stepped up to one 

 man of fair complexion, who had his trowsers turned 

 up over his knees, and began rubbing his skin to 

 see whether it was painted. They came fearlessly 

 to our party, as they w^ere collecting shells at the 

 extremity of a long flat. One of the officers, who 

 happened to be very thirsty, placed such confidence 

 in their friendly manner, that he allowed them to 

 conduct him alone to a small well near the beach, but 

 the water was too salt to be drank. The force of 

 habit is astonishing : natives drink this brackish 

 fluid and find it very refreshing. The small quan- 

 tity that suffices them is also surprising, though they 

 will drink enormously when they can get it. 



Their mode of procuring this necessary element 

 is singular, and they exhibit in this particular much 

 ingenuity and great fertility of resources. They 



