CH. VI.] THE "doctor" AND THE NATIVES. 257 



Being wholly new, this bird might have been named the 

 Grenadier, as a companion to the Rifle-bird. The junction 

 of even the dry bed of a tributary was certainly a novelty ; 

 and the effect of this on the course of the river remained to 

 be seen. From the station beyond the Darling, I took the 

 bearing of the farthest visible trees in the line of that river, 

 and on my map it exactly intersected the bend, now the 

 nearest to our camp. Beyond it nothing could be seen from 

 hills or lofty trees, and all I could know then was that the 

 river turned nearly westward, and that a tributary was about 

 to fall into it from the cast. We were near the place, w^here 

 it might reasonably be ascertained, from the direction of its 

 further course, whether the Darling finally joined the Murray. 

 July 3. — The repair of the wheel could not be effected 

 before one o'clock. Meanwhile, the Doctor having been to 

 the river for two buckets of water, was surprised on ascend- 

 ing the bank, by a numerous tribe, armed with spears and 

 bommerengs. One of the natives, however, stept forward un- 

 armed, between his fellows and the Doctor, and with the aid 

 of two others made the tribe fall back. Souter had fortu- 

 nately bethought him of holding out a twig, as soon as he saw 

 them. These three men accompanied him to the camp, and 

 as they seemed well-disposed, and shewed confidence, I gave 

 the foremost a tomahawk. Two of them were deeply marked 

 with small-pox. On mentioning the " Calare," they imme- 

 diately pointed towards the Lachlan, this being the well- 

 known native name of that river ; but their curiosity was too 

 strongly excited by the novelties before them, to admit of 

 much attention being given to my questions. They remained 

 about half an hour, and then departed ; and we soon after 

 proceeded. Having passed through some scrub, we reached 

 a firm bit of plain, on which we encamped ; the day's 

 journey being about six miles. Near our camp, there was 

 a long lagoon in the bed of a water-course, which seemed 

 to be a channel from the back country. We heard the many 

 voices of our black friends, in the woods. 

 1 s 



