CH. v.] THE ''OCCA" TRIBE. 235 



on the left, and was named by me, Rankin's Range. Some 

 natives followed us, during a part of this day, shouting, and 

 at length came boldly up to the head of the column. They 

 were very greedy, coveting every thing they^ saw ; and 

 holding out their hands, uttering constantly, in an authori- 

 tative tone, the word " Occa "! which undoubtedly means 

 "give"! I had not been in their presence one minute, 

 before their chief, a very stout fellow, drew forth my pocket- 

 handkerchief, while a boy took my Kater's compass from the 

 other pocket, and was on the point of running off with it. 

 I gave a clasp-knife to the chief, when another of the party 

 most importunately demanded a tomahawk. Observing that 

 he carried a curious stone hatchet, I offered to exchange 

 the tomahawk for it, to which he reluctantly agreed. 

 I left them at last disgusted with their greediness ; and I 

 determined henceforward to admit no more such specimens 

 of wild men to any familiarity with my clothes, pockets, or 

 accoutrements. They paid no attention to my questions 

 about the river. When the party moved on, they followed, 

 and when I halted or rode back they ran off ; thus alter- 

 nately retiring and returning, and calling to the men. At 

 last I galloped my horse at them, whereupon they disap- 

 peared altogether in the bush. At 10^ miles, we came 

 upon the river, and encamped where it was very deep and 

 broad, the banks and also the flood marks being much 

 lower than further up the Darling. 



June 16. — We were compelled to turn east for half a mile, 

 to clear a bend in the river to our left, which, impinging 

 upon some rather high ground, left us no very good passage. 

 The course of the river, lower down, was such, that after 

 travelling many miles to the south-west, and two to the west 

 and north-west, I was obliged to encamp, without being 

 able to find it. By following a hollow, however, which de- 

 scended in a north-east direction from our camp, the river 

 was discovered by our watering party, in the evening, at the 

 distance of about three miles. The countrv, which we had 



