288 CROSS THE DARLING. [CH. VIT. 



was drowned, having been too weak to swim to the other 

 side. 



July 27. — Early this morning, the Bed tribe came up, and 

 again begged for tomahawks. It was evident now, how inju- 

 dicious we had been in giving these savages jDresents ; had 

 we not done so, we should not have been so much impor- 

 tuned by them. To avoid their solicitations, which were 

 assuming an insolent tone, evinced by loud laughing to each 

 other, at our expense, we loaded and moved off as quickly 

 as possible, and they remained behind to examine the 

 ground, which we had quitted. Upon the whole, however, 

 the conduct of this tribe was much better than that of any 

 we had seen lower down the river. They brought no 

 arms, and had never attempted any warlike demonstrations, 

 or to come forward when told to keep back; neither did 

 they follow us. We got over our journey by two o'clock, 

 and encamped near the old ground of June 2-3. Here the 

 bed of the Darling, consisted of ferruginous clay, with grains 

 of sand. 



July 28. — We proceeded by the beaten route, and pitched 

 our tents within about a mile of our former camp. The 

 cattle being very weak, I was desirous to avoid some soft 

 ground near that position, by taking a shorter cut next morn- 

 ing. The part of the river adjacent to this spot was fordable, 

 the bed consisting of a variety of sandstone, composed of 

 small siliceous grains cemented by decomposed felspar. 



July 29. — The day being clear, and the party within thir- 

 teen or fourteen miles of Mount Macpherson, a fine hill be- 

 yond the river, (bearing 3012° from N.), 1 determined to 

 give the cattle a day's rest, and to ascend that hill in order to 

 take another look at the western interior beyond the Darling. 

 I thought, I might thus be enabled to fix many of the points 

 observed from Mount Murchisson, or at all events, to ascer- 

 tain the nature of the country to the north-west. I accord- 

 ingly crossed the DarHng with four men, and proceeded 

 straight for the hill over a very open country, and phiins 



