134 THE OLD TRACK IMPASSABLE. [CH. VI. 



possess two, the pair in general consisting of a fat plump 

 gin, and one much younger. Each man placed himself 

 before his gins, and bowing forward witli a shrug, the hands 

 and arms being thrown back pointing to each gin, as if to 

 say — Take which you please. The females on their part, 

 evinced no apprehensions, but seemed to regard us, beings 

 of a race so diSerent, without the slightest indication of 

 either fear, aversion, or surprise. Their looks were rather 

 expressive of a ready acquiescence in the proffered kindness 

 of the men, and when at length they brought a sable nymph 

 vis a vis to Mr. White, I could preserve my gravity no 

 longer, and throwing the spears aside, I ordered the bullock- 

 drivers to proceed. I endeavoured to explain by gestures, 

 that two of our party had been killed by their countrymen, 

 and pointed to the place, so that, as INIr. White thought, 

 they understood me. On seeing the party again in motion, 

 most of the natives disappeared, one or two only lingered 

 behind trees, and it then occurred to me, to offer them a small 

 iron tomahawk in exchange for that of stone, which lay beside 

 the spears. I therefore sent Dawkins to them, to make a 

 bargain if he could, but on going back he saw most of the 

 natives running off with spears in their hands, and could 

 not make his object understood by those who remained. 

 The earth, in this part of our old track, had become very 

 soft, and although the surface undulated, it possessed a pecu- 

 liar rottenness, so that where the upper crust bore me on 

 horse-back, the carts would suddenly sink to the axle. Tlie 

 horses at length began also to sink through the surface 

 crust, and we were approaching a hollow which appeared 

 likely to be still worse, when our wheel-carriages at length 

 got quite fast, and then, recollecting some gestures of the 

 natives, I understood their meaning. They had pointed 

 forward along the way we were pursuing, holding the hands 

 as high as the breast, as if to show how deep ; and then to 

 the eastward, as if to say — that direction would be better. 

 We were now forced to retrace our steps, and in following 



