CH. VII.] RETURN TO FORT BOURKE. 297 



the water, while the surrounding hollows supplied them 

 with plenty of grass. I was now enabled to reduce the cattle 

 guard from four to two men, which was a great relief to 

 them. The backward journey allowed me a little time to 

 look about me, and the river scenery here was fine. Indeed 

 the position of our camp was most romantic, being a little 

 eminence in the midst of grassy hollows, and recesses of the 

 deepest shade, covered by trees of wild character and luxu- 

 riant growth. 



Aug. 10. — The whole party was ready to start early this 

 morning, and we proceeded in good time, in hopes of reaching 

 our old home at Fort Bourke. Our dogs caught two of the 

 largest kind of kangaroo, as we crossed the plains. The 

 cattle, although now weak, seemed also eager to get back 

 to their old pasture, on which they had fed so long for- 

 merly. We accomplished by four p. m. the journey of 

 fourteen miles. From Fort Bourke, we had been absent 

 two months and two days, having travelled during that time 

 over 600 miles, even in direct distance. On our return 

 from the lower country, this place looked better than ever 

 in our eyes. The whole of the territory seen by us down 

 the river, did not present such another spot, either for 

 security, extent of good grazing land, or convenient access 

 to water. The fort was uninjured, except that the blacks 

 had been at infinite pains to cut out most of the large 

 spike nails, fastening the logs of which the block-house was 

 constructed. We all felt comparatively at home here ; and 

 indeed we were really about half way to our true home, for 

 we had retraced about 300 miles, and were not more than 

 the same distance from Buree, which is only 170 miles from 

 Sydney. The cattle had done so well, that I resolved to give 

 them two days' rest; and more could not be afforded them, 

 as the weather, though beautiful, might change, and we had 

 some very soft ground still to go over. It was remarkable, 

 that the water of the river, which for the last three days' 

 journey had been bi*ackish, was here again, as formerly, as 



