CH. v.] THE PARTY LEAVES FORT BOURKE. 229 



sharp, as to penetrate, in one instance, the upper part of my 

 horse's hoof, and, in another, a horse's fetlock, from which a 

 portion was drawn measuring more than an inch. I, there- 

 fore, determined to pass the nig-ht at a short distance from the 

 foot of this hill, on a spot where I found some good grass. 



June 6. — We proceeded to the Darling, where we could, 

 at length, have breakfast and water the horses. Returning 

 from the river along our track to the camp, I arrived there 

 at seven in the evening, with two of the men, the others 

 having fallen behind on account of their horses. Tlie latter, 

 however, came in not long after, although it had been found 

 necessary to leave one poor horse tied in the bush near the 

 camp, until sent for early next morning. On our way back, 

 we discovered that a native having a very large foot, had 

 followed our track for fifteen miles, from where we had first 

 alarmed the gin ; it was, therefore, probable that he had 

 not been far from where we slept in the hollow, on the first 



evening. 



June 8. — We broke up our encampment on the position 

 which I had selected for a depot, (and which had served as 

 such during our short absence down the river), and after 

 proceeding two miles on the bearing of 151°, in order to 

 clear the river, we followed my previous track to the south- 

 west. The ground crossed by the party this day, consisted 

 chiefly of plains with little scrub ; and when we had travelled 

 12| miles, it appearing open towards a bend in the river, we 

 made for the tall trees (our never failing guides to water), 

 on a bearing of 248°. We reached the Darling at 14^ 

 miles, and encamped near it. As we approached this spot, 

 and while I was reconnoitring the bank for the purpose 

 of marking out the camp, I came suddenly upon a party 

 of natives, one of whom giving a short cooy, first made me 

 aware of the circumstance. Burnett went towards them 

 with a branch ; but they hastily gathered up their things and 

 fled. The party appeared to consist of two men and five 

 women, and it doubtless belonged to the same tribe as the 



