278 THREE FEMALES FOLLOW THE PARTY. [CH. VII. 



peaceful demeanour, any fears that might be raised to pro- 

 voke hostihiy on the part of the inhabitants there. Tliemen 

 found two natives hiding behind trees, who ran off when 

 observed, and swam the river. About two o'clock one of the 

 guard with the cattle, came in and reported that twelve or 

 fourteen natives wei'e watching on the other side of the 

 Darling, and asked what he was to do. I instructed him 

 and the other men to motion to all such to go away, but 

 not to fire at any, unless it became necessary to do so in 

 their own defence. The afternoon cleared up a little, but 

 after dark the sky was overcast. The night passed quietly, 

 without further alarm of natives. 



The vicinity of the river was an advantage to us here, 

 which the ground, for several stages on, would not afford; 

 for in case of need it enabled all our men to be at hand. 



July 14. — The morning was fair, but the sky continued to 

 be cloudy, when we commenced our journey. After we had 

 proceeded some miles, the cooys of the natives were heard 

 around us, and we once more expected an attack. We were 

 then in a close scrub, and the cattle were advancing slowly, 

 for the ground had been softened by the rain. We halted 

 the carts in a small open space, and prepared for defence. 

 The men forming our rear guard, having concealed them- 

 selves behind bushes, intercepted three gins and a boy, who 

 appeared to be following our movements. When discovered, 

 tbey called out loudly " Wainba! Wainba!"; and we con- 

 cluded from this, that the male savages were not far off, and 

 that ihcy employed these women on out-post duty. Our 

 men beckoned to them to go back, and no other natives 

 ap])earing, we resumed our mai'ch. The gins, however, were 

 not to be driven from their object so easily ; and indeed from 

 the l)arking of our dogs towards the scrub during the night, 

 and by the tracks observed in the sand across our route next 

 morning, it a])pf'ared, tbat these poor creatures liad passed 

 the night, a cohl one too, in the scrub near our camp without 

 fir(! or water, and thiit they had preceded us in the morninf^ 



