136 
DRY CHANNEL OF THE RIVER. 
arm, and asked me vrhat he should do to heal it ; indeed, I 
believe Fraser had promised him some ointment, but not 
having any with me, I signified to him that he should wash 
it often, and stooping down, made as if I was taking up 
water in my hand. The poor fellow mistook me, and, also 
stooping down, took up a handful of dust which he threw 
over the sore. This gave me the trouble of explaining 
matters again, and by pointing to the water, I believe I at 
length made him understand me. 
These good natured people asked us where we had slept 
the day we passed, and when informed of the direction, 
shook their heads, motioning at the same time, that we 
must have been without water. We informed them where 
the party was, and asked them to come and see us, but I 
fancy the distance was too great, or else we were in the 
beat of another tribe. On mentioning these facts to the 
men, they said that two of the natives had followed us for 
some miles, calling out loudly to us, but Mr. Hume and I 
both being in front, we did not hear them, although, evi- 
dently, they wished to save us distress. 
Since the result of our excursion proved that the channel, 
about which I had been so doubtful, was the Castlereagh, 
it necessarily followed, that the creek at which we were en- 
camped was one of those (most probably Morrisset’s 
chain of ponds,) which we had already crossed nearer its 
source, and which Mr. Hume must have struck upon when 
endeavouring to gain the Castlereagh from the marshes of 
the Macquarie. 
