When He Was Going Away, Brown Told
Him, In A Very Consoling Manner, That He Would Come By And Bye And Sleep
With Him.
I was, however, determined that no one within the camp should
have any communication with him; and therefore told Brown, that he had
either to stop with me entirely, or with Charley.
He answered that he
could not quarrel with him; that he would sleep with him, but return
every morning; and, when I replied that, in such a case, he should never
return, he said that he would stop altogether with Charley, and walked
off. If I had punished these fellows for their late misconduct, I should
have had no occasion for doing so now: but full of their own importance,
they interpreted my forbearance, by fancying that I could not proceed
without them.
Previous to this occurrence, Charley had, during my absence from the
camp, had an interview with the natives, who made him several presents,
among which were two fine calabashes which they had cleaned and used for
carrying water; the larger one was pear-shaped, about a foot in length,
and nine inches in diameter in the broadest part, and held about three
pints. The natives patted his head, and hair, and clothing; but they
retired immediately, when he afterwards returned to them, accompanied by
Mr. Calvert on horseback.
We started, on the 21st February, from our killing camp, and travelled a
long stage; the day was very hot, and the heat of the rotten ground was
intense. Our little terrier, which had so well borne former fatigues,
died; and our remaining kangaroo-dog was only saved by Mr. Calvert's
carrying him on his horse. It was a day well calculated to impress on the
Blackfellows the difference between riding and walking, between finding a
meal ready after a fatiguing journey, and looking out for food for
themselves. Hearing Brown's cooee as we were travelling along, Mr. Roper
stopped behind until Brown came up to him, and expressed his desire to
rejoin my party, as he had had quite enough of his banishment and bush
life; and, before sunset, he arrived quite exhausted at our
camping-place, and begged me to pardon him, which I did, under the former
condition, that he was to have no farther communication with Charley, to
which he most willingly assented.
Feb. 22. - On a ride with Mr. Gilbert up the river, we observed several
large reedy holes in its bed, in which the Blackfellows had dug wells;
they were still moist, and swarms of hornets were buzzing about them.
About eight miles north-west from the junction of North Creek with the
river, a large flight of cockatoos again invited us to some good
water-holes extending along a scrubby rise. Large Bastard-box flats lie
between North Creek and the river. About four miles from the camp, the
country rises to the left of the river, and ranges and isolated hills are
visible, which are probably surrounded by plains.
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