this point, and one youth undertook to point out some marks made by white
men. Mr. Kennedy ran with him on foot up the left bank of the river, and
was shown two trees marked, the one with "J. Towns," the other with
"Bagot, 1845." Being thus convinced that this ford was really at or near
the place called "Congo," where Commissioner Mitchell had crossed, and
found the Culgoa, at a distance of only seven miles north-west, I
determined to go forward, in the same direction, to that river, taking my
track of yesterday, which enabled me to avoid the broad lagoon.

On arriving at the "Cawan" we saw two natives fishing in a pond with hoop
nets, and Yuranigh went to ask them about the "Culgoa." He returned
accompanied by a tall athletic man; the other was this man's gin, who had
been fishing with him. There he had left her to take care of his nets,
and, without once looking at me or the party, proceeded to conduct us to
the Culgoa. I never saw a Spanish or Portuguese guide go with a
detachment half so willingly. Yuranigh and he scarcely understood a word
of what each other said, and yet the former had the address to overcome
the usual difficulties to intercourse between strange natives, and their
shyness to white men, and to induce this native thus to become our guide.
He took us to the Culgoa, which we made at about seven miles from the
Balonne, and I was so much pleased with the willing service and true
civility of this native, that I presented him with an iron tomahawk, and
I heard him twice ask Yuranigh if it really was meant for him to keep. He
then hastened back to his gin, whom he had left five miles off. This
river presented as deep a section as, but a narrower bed than, the one we
had just left. It had all the characteristics, however, of a principal
river, and really looked more important than the Barwan, except that its
waters were not then fluent. Gigantic blue gum trees overhang the banks,
and the Mimosa grew near the bed of the current. I should say that these
and much sand were the chief characteristics of the Culgoa. There were no