AUSTRALIAN EXPLORATION. 
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upwards of fifteen feet high. Again, at Anna’s Creek, interspersed with 
marshy ground thick with trees, hushes, and strong vines, were plains 
covered with long grass, in this instance reaching to the shoulder of a 
man on horseback. Such grassy plains appear to be a very common 
feature, though the grass usually is not of such excessive height, reaching 
perhaps four feet, and offering sometimes great impediment to the progress 
of the horses from its dryness, which caused it to break and accumulate 
before their fore feet. But an inconvenience of a far graver character 
arose from the habit of the natives of setting fire to the grass. In many 
places the whole country was burned, and in one instance the explorers 
had a narrow escape. The country was in a blaze of fire to the east of 
them, but owing to there not being a breath of wind they were fortunately 
enabled to pass within a quarter of a mile of it. 
No very striking flowers appear to have been met with except those of 
the bean-tree with bright crimson blossoms, a certain large creeper with 
yellow blossoms found on the banks of the River Strangwavs, and “ a new 
kind of lily,” evidently a species of Nelumbium, with flowers six inches 
high, resembling a tulip in form, and of a deep rose colour. 
Considering how much the success of a former expedition was frustrated 
by the hostility and interference of the natives, it is not to be wondered at 
that Mr. Stuart was extremely wary of them on this occasion, and never 
sought their company. He was usually very successful in avoiding them, 
although it would appear that the country is by no means destitute of 
aboriginal inhabitants. Wherever they go they light a fire, and the smoke 
gave the travellers an announcement of their proximity. Native smokes 
seen in all directions is a not unfrequent remark of Mr. Stuart’s diary, 
and it was obviously impossible under these circumstances to avoid them 
altogether. Accordingly, we have some account of the habits and appear- 
ance of this degraded type of mankind. In the neighbourhood of Frew’s 
Water-hole they were visited by a few natives, who appeared to be very 
friendly; they called water (the great topic of conversation in the interior 
of Australia) “ ninloo.” These men were armed with spears, about ten feet 
long, which are described as having sharp flint points about six inches long, 
with a bamboo attached to the other end. They pointed to the west as the 
place where they got the bamboo, and the water also, but they appeared to 
have no knowledge of the country to the north. They were tall, well- 
made, elderly men, and went away quietly. A fire in the grass, which 
they ignited next day, almost surrounded and cut off the exploring party. 
On another occasion, Mr. Stuart, returning from an excursion, found a 
number of natives, old and young, hugging his men in the most friendly 
manner. Some pieces of white tape were given to them, which pleased 
them much. They still pointed to the west as the place where the large 
water was. On the banks of River Strangways, they came upon a spot 
where were numerous recent fires of the natives; there must have been a 
great many of them, for their fires covered the ground. Great numbers 
of shells of mussels were also found here — the remains of a feast upon those 
shell-fish. And in another spot they found a favourite camping-ground of 
the natives strewed with fish bones, mussel and turtle shells. Mr. Stuart 
seems to hint at cannibalism when he says, that on the place where the 
