272 The Hunting Grounds 



pick "barjee," a kind of wild spinach, and for the 

 inducement of some tobacco one of the men offered to 

 show us the spot. After a couple of hours' fag 

 through thickish jungle, we came upon an open 

 glade, at one end of which was a swamp, where a 

 sounder of hog were wallowing, and here we found 

 the trail of a large herd, not many hours old, which 

 we followed until the sun began to get low in the 

 horizon, when arriving at a watercourse, I gave the 

 order to halt and prepare the supper, whilst I looked 

 out for a suitable place to pass the night. 



Being an old forest-ranger, and used to camping 

 out, I was not very particular, ray great object being 

 to secure a flank defence, so as to avoid the possibility 

 of being taken unawares by wild beasts ; and a dry 

 bed of sand, under a high shelving bank, from which 

 projected two high boulders of rock, about ten feet 

 apart, seemed to offer a natural fortress, as by making 

 a huge fire in front we were unassailable from with- 

 out. Chineah and Googooloo spread one of the 

 comblies over two bamboos, so as to form a kind 

 of awning to shelter us from the dew, whilst the 

 Carders collected heaps of dry leaves for our beds, 

 and a sufficient stock of logs to keep a large fire 

 burning throughout the night. Our supper, consist- 

 ing of curry and rice, was soon ready, and dis- 

 cussed ; a cheroot followed, after which the watch 

 was set, arms carefully examined, and we turned in 



