50 SCANTINESS OF THE POPULATION. 
been previously with us, and who now turned back, while 
our new friends took the lead of the drays. They were 
tvvo fine young men, but had very ugly wives, and were for 
a long time extremely diffident. I found that I could obtain 
but little information through my black boy, — whether from 
his not understanding me, or because he was too cunning, 
is uncertain. One of these young men, however, clearly 
stated that he had seen the tracks of bullocks and horses, a 
long time ago, to the N. N. W . in the direction of some 
detached hills, that were visible from 20 to 25 miles 
distant. He remembered them, he said, as a boy, and 
added that the white men were without water. It was, 
therefore, clear that he alluded to Mr. Oxley’s excursion, 
southerly from the Lachlan, and I had no doubt on my 
mind, that he had been on one of that oflacer’s encamp- 
ments, and that the hills to the north of us were those 
to the opposite base of which he had penetrated. I was 
determined, therefore, if practicable, to reach these hills, 
deeming it a matter of great importance to connect the 
surveys, but I deferred my journey for a day or two, in 
hopes, from the continued northerly course of the river, 
that we should have approached them nearer. 
In the evening we fell in with some more blacks, 
among whom were two brothers, of those who were act- 
ing as our guides. One had a very pretty girl as a wife, 
and all the four brothers were very good-looking young men. 
There cannot, I should think, be a numerous population 
on the banks of the Morumbidgee, from the fact of our 
