102 
LARGE CONCOURSE OF NATIVES. 
tion with admirable dexterity upon their chief, to his great 
delight. I got up at an early hour, and found to my sur- 
prise that the whole of them had deserted us. Harris told 
me they had risen from the fire about an hour before, and 
had crossed the river. I was a little angry, but supposed 
they were aware that we were near some tribe, and had gone 
on a-head to prepare and collect them. 
After breakfast, we proceeded onwards as usual. The 
river had increased so much in width that, the wind being 
fair, I hoisted sail for the first time, to save the strength of 
my men as much as possible. Our progress was conse- 
quently rapid. We passed through a country that, from 
the nature of its soil and other circumstances, appeared to 
be intersected by creeks and lagoons. Vast flights of wild 
fowl passed over us, but always at a considerable elevation, 
while, on the other hand, the paucity of ducks on the river 
excited our surprise. Latterly, the trees upon the 
river, and in its neighbourhood, had been a tortuous kind 
of box. The flooded-gum grew in groups on the spaces 
subject to inundation, but not on the levels above the in- 
fluence of any ordinary rise of the stream. Still they were 
much smaller than they were observed to be in the higher 
branches of the river. We had proceeded about nine miles, 
when we were surprised by the appearance in view, at the 
termination of a reach, of a long line of magnificent trees 
of green and dense foliage. As we sailed down the reach, 
we observed a vast concourse of natives under them, and, 
on a nearer approach, we not only heard their war-song, if 
