IIG SKY-ROCKET. [CH.V. 



were absent, because I did not wish them to see the diffi- 

 culties which the passage of a river occasioned to us. 



When the sun was near setting, the voices of our unwel- 

 come visitors were again heard, and they soon appeared gaily 

 painted white for the corrobory ; but foreseeing this return I 

 had forbidden the men from looking towards them, and in 

 order to discourage their approaches still more, I directed 

 the Doctor to pace backward and forward, on the bank before 

 our tents, with a firelock on his shoulder, and the calm air 

 of a sentinel, but without noticing the natives opposite. 

 Tliey accordingly also kept back, although one of them crossed 

 to the bullock-driver, who was alone, watching the cattle on 

 our left, and endeavoured to persuade him to go over the 

 river with him. The whole at length disappeared without 

 further parley. Under any other circumstances, I should 

 certainly have been willing to have met their civilities at 

 least half way, but recent events had weakened our confi- 

 dence in the natives. When night came on, we saw their 

 fires behind the trees, at a little distance from the river, and 

 we also heard their voices — but to complete the effect of our 

 coolness in the evening, which certainly must have puzzled 

 them, considering our kindness in the morning, I sent up a 

 rocket, after which their very fires disappeared, and we 

 heard their voices no more. 



Feb. 10. — From this camp, the first day's journey home- 

 ward, along our old track, was parallel to the river; the 

 second left its banks and led in a south-east direction to Ro- 

 drigo Ponds, where we had encamped on tlie 17th of January. 

 On emerging from the wooded margin of the river, this morn- 

 ing, I struck into a new direction, leaving the natives to 

 believe, that we still followed the beaten track towards our 

 old camp on the Gwydir; where they would, no doubt, 

 await us tliat evening, while we pursued tlie bearing of G4° 

 E. of S., ill hopes to pass a quiet night at Rodrigo Ponds, 

 thus stealing a march upon them — a mana'uvre which we 

 successfully accomplished. 



