78 APPROACH OF NATIVES. 



the desired direction in the course of another day : 

 while I felt satisfied that we were abandoning the 

 course of a river whose undiminished magnitude 

 made each mile's journey along its banks of in- 

 creased interest, and which I felt convinced would, 

 if followed out, conduct us far towards the heart of 

 this " terra incognita." 



The weather continued calm and close ; tempera- 

 ture at noon, in the shade 110°. I noticed a differ- 

 ence in the bed of the river at the place where we 

 prepared dinner : hitherto the dry spots, which from 

 time to time we passed over, or halted upon, were 

 strewn about with large boulders ; here, however, 

 we were encamping near a very remarkable rocky 

 ledge, dipping to the south-east, and of the same 

 character as the rocks on the sea coast, when seen 

 at low water. 



Scarcely had we disposed of our invalid as com- 

 fortably as circumstances would admit, under a 

 bank overshadowed by acacias and gum-trees, when 

 we heard the shrill voices of an evidently large body 

 of natives, concealed by the foliage on the opposite 

 bank of the river, which was just here quite dry, 

 and not more than eighty yards across. As I had 

 no means of knowing either their number or in- 

 tentions, it was necessary to make the best prepara- 

 tions that time and place would allow for defence, 

 should it unhappily become necessary : a contin- 

 gency which, in the debilitated condition of all the 

 party, now too deprived altogether of the aid of one 



