away the bushes from around my tent. I now discovered that the natives
had been concealed behind a large tea-tree not twenty yards from the
tent; there were numerous foot-marks there, and the remains of
fire-sticks which they had brought with them, for a native rarely moves
at night without fire.

By working hard I cleared a large circle with a radius of from thirty to
forty yards, and then piling up all the bushes outside and around the
tent, which was in the centre, I was completely fortified, and my sable
friends could no longer creep upon me to steal without my hearing them. I
spent great part of the day in charting, and took a few angles from the
tent, but did not dare to venture far away. At night, when it was dark, I
mounted guard with my gun for three hours, walking round outside the
tent, and firing off my gun before I lay down, which I did with my
clothes on, ready to get up at a moment's notice. Nothing, however,
disturbed me.

September 21.--I had been occupied during the greater part of the day in
charting, and in the evening was just shouldering my gun to mount guard
again, when I was delighted to see Mr. Scott returning with the dray, and
the party all safe. They had executed the duty entrusted to them well,
and had lost no time in rejoining me; the horses were, however, somewhat
fatigued, having come all the way from the range in one day. Being now
reinforced, I had no longer occasion to mount guard, and for the first
time since the natives had stolen upon me, enjoyed a sound sleep.

September 22.--Moving on the party for ten miles at a course of S. 35
degrees W., we passed through a dreadful country, composed of dense scrub
and heavy sandy ridges, with some salt water channels and beds of small
dry lakes at intervals. In many cases the margins bounding these were