Interior of New Holland. 
345 
nine who 1 counted round me I do not think one was below my 
stature—five feet ten inches. They were a fine, frank, merry race, 
without a blemish or mark of any unseemly cuts on their bodies, 
or deficiency of teeth. Firewood being scarce, two of them 
brought us a supply of it, and at sunset they retired to their camp 
and left us to ourselves. These people assured us that there was 
no water to the eastward, and that the creek commenced in the 
great grassy plains. They explained this with their fingers and 
arms, as emblematical of many small channels forming a large one, 
and they observed that the waters had all gone to where we had 
come from, meaning the bottom of the creek. They had a long 
argument as to the existence of water to the N.W., but ultimately 
told us there was none. We could not make them understand 
a canoe, nor could we learn from them that a large body of water 
or hills were anywhere near us. 
The camp of the natives at night was a beautiful spectacle; the 
gentle rise of ground on which it stood had a line of fires all along 
it, the light of which fell on the dusky forms of the men as they 
walked about, and on the bough-made huts around. The women 
kept up an incessant hammering, pounding the grass seeds for 
cakes between two stones, and the effect, altogether, was like the 
working of a factory. About eleven this noise ceased—the camp 
was hushed—and had we not been aware of it we should not have 
known that we were so near so many people. In the morning we 
took leave of the natives, and passed on to the plains, but we were 
obliged to turn back. The ground, blistered and light, was unfit to 
ride on. Our horses sank to the chest at every step, and I was 
obliged, as soon as I had satisfied myself that there was no appa¬ 
rent sign of water to the eastward from that point, once more to 
make for the creek. Indeed, my horses were incapable of further 
exertion. I had left one behind me that had worn his hoofs down 
to the quick, and could not drag one leg after another; and the 
rest limped and staggered along so much that it was painful to 
ride them. 
About fity miles from the point at which we first struck this 
creek, and on its right bank, we crossed a tributary creek coming 
from the north, which I did not doubt would lead me into the 
•/. 
VOL. III. NO. V. 
