NATIVES BECOME UNRULY.

We did not fall in with any natives on the 30th, neither did we see those
who had preceded us from the last tribe. On the 31st, to my mortification,
the river held so much to the northward, that we undid almost all our
southing. What with its regular turns, and its extensive sweeps, the
Murray covers treble the ground, at a moderate computation, that it would
occupy in a direct course; and we had a practical instance of the truth of
this in the course of the afternoon, when we found our friends ready to
introduce us to a large assemblage of natives. On asking them how they had
passed us, they pointed directly east to the spot at which we had parted.
By crossing from one angle of the river to the other, they had performed
in little more than half a day, a journey which it had taken us two long
days to accomplish. After our usual distribution of presents, we pushed
away from the bank; though not without some difficulty, in consequence of
the obstinacy of the natives in wishing to detain us; and I was
exceedingly vexed to find, while we were yet in sight of them, that we had
proceeded down a shallow channel on one side of an island instead of the
further and deeper one; so that the boat ultimately grounded. A crowd of
the blacks rushed into the water, and surrounded us on every side. Some
came to assist us, others, under a pretence of assisting, pulled against
us, and I was at length obliged to repel them by threats. A good many of
them were very much disposed to annoy us, and, after the boat was in deep
water, some of them became quite infuriated, because we would not return.
Had we been within distance, they would assuredly have hurled their spears
at us. Thirteen of them followed us to our resting place. They kept rather
apart from us, and kindled their fire in a little hollow about fifty paces
to our right; nor did they venture to approach the tents unless we called
to them, so that by their quiet and unobtrusive conduct they made up in
some measure for the unruly proceedings of others of their tribe.