MOLESTED BY NATIVES. 
203 
examined the stores, that six pounds alone remained in the 
cask. This the men positively refused to touch. They 
said that, divided, it would benefit nobody ; that they 
hoped M'Leay and I would use it, that it would last us for 
some time, and that they were better able to submit to pri- 
vations than we were. The feeling did them infinite credit, 
and the circumstance is not forgotten by me. The little 
supply the kindness of our men left to us was, however, 
soon exhausted, and poor M'Leay preferred pure water to 
the bitter draught that remained. I have been some- 
times unable to refrain from smiling, as I watched the 
distorted countenances of my humble companions while 
drinking their tea and eating their damper. 
The ducks and swans, seen in such myriads on the 
lake, seldom appeared on the river, in the first stages of our 
journey homewards. About the time of which I am writing, 
however, a few swans occasionally flew over our heads at 
night, and their silvery note was musically sweet. 
From the 10th to the 15th, nothing of moment occurred : 
we pulled regularly from day-light to dark, not less to avoid 
the natives than to shorten our journey. Yet, notwith- 
standing that we moved at an hour when the natives sel- 
dom stir, we were rarely without a party of them, who 
followed us in spite of our efforts to tire them out. 
On the 15th, we had about 150 at our camp. Many of 
them were extremely noisy, and the whole of them very 
restless. They lay down close to the tents, oi mound 
our fire. 1 entertained some suspicion ot them, and when 
