INFORMATION FROM A NATIVE. 
45 
certainly a noble stream, very different from those I had 
already traced to their termination. The old black informed 
me that there was another large river flowing to the south- 
ward of west, to which the Morumbidgee was as a creek, 
and that we could gain it in four days. He stated that its 
waters were good, but that its banks were not peopled. 
That such a feature existed where he laid it down, I thought 
extremely probable, because it was only natural to expect 
that other streams descended from the mountains in the S. 
E. of the island, as well as that on which we were travelling'. 
The question was, whether either of them held on an uninter- 
rupted course to some reservoir, or whether they fell short of 
the coast and exhausted themselves in marshes. Considering 
the concave direction of the mountains to the S. E., I even at 
this time hoped that the rivers falling into the interior 
would unite sooner or later, and contribute to the formation 
of an important and navigable stream. Of the fate of the 
Morumbidgee, the old black could give no account. It seem- 
ed probable, therefore, that we were far from its termination. 
I had hitherto been rather severe upon the animals, 
for although our journey had not exceeded from twelve 
to fifteen miles a-day, it had been without intermission. 
I determined, therefore, to give both men and animals a day 
of rest, as soon as I should find a convenient place. We 
started on the 11th with this intention, but we managed to 
creep over eight or ten miles of ground before we halted. 
The country was slightly undulated, and much intersected 
by creeks, few of which had water in them. The whole 
