him to move along, and even the threat of leaving him behind produced no
effect; I however kept pushing steadily onwards, for I never thought of
the length of the journey we had to perform without trembling for the
result. We were now walking on a course of 180 degrees, and followed this
line for two miles and a half through a similar country. We still found
many native paths running along the estuary, and saw the natives fishing,
but they carefully avoided us, making off for the high lands as fast as
they could.

ESTUARY OF THE HUTT RIVER. DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTRY AND SCENERY.

The estuary became narrower here, and shortly after seeing these natives
we came upon a river running into it from the eastward; its mouth was
about forty yards wide, the stream strong, but the water brackish, and it
flowed through a very deep ravine, having steep limestone hills on each
side: many wild-fowls were on the river, but we could not get a shot at
them. Being unable to ford the river here we followed it in a south-east
direction for two miles, and in this distance passed two native villages,
or, as the men termed them, towns, the huts of which they were composed
differed from those in the southern districts in being much larger, more
strongly built, and very nicely plastered over the outside with clay and
clods of turf, so that although now uninhabited they were evidently
intended for fixed places of residence. This again showed a marked
difference between the habits of the natives of this part of Australia
and the south-western portions of the continent; for these superior huts,
well marked roads, deeply sunk wells, and extensive warran grounds, all
spoke of a large and comparatively-speaking resident population, and the
cause of this undoubtedly must have been the great facilities for
procuring food in so rich a soil.