Two Expeditions into the Interior of Southern Australia — CompleteSturt, Charles
History
Two Expeditions into the Interior of Southern Australia — Complete
Sturt, Charles
New South Wales -- Discovery and exploration; Sturt, Charles, 1795-1869
Two or three natives made their appearance at some distance from the
party, but would not approach it until after we had halted. They then
came to the tents, seven in number, and it was evident from their manner,
that their chief or only object was to pilfer anything they could. We
did not, therefore, treat them with much ceremony. They were an
ill-featured race, and it was only by strict watching during the night
that they were prevented from committing theft. Probably from seeing that
we were aware of their intentions, they left us early, and pointing
somewhat to the eastward of north, said they were going to the Colare,
and on being asked how far it was, they signified that they should sleep
there. I had on a former occasion recollected the term having been made
use of by a black, on the Macquarie, when speaking to me of the Lachlan,
and had questioned one of the young men who was with us at the time, and
who seemed more intelligent than his companions, respecting it.
Immediately catching at the word, he had pointed to the N.N.W., and,
making a sweep with his arms raised towards the sky had intimated,
evidently, that a large sheet of water existed in that direction, in the
same manner that another black had done on a former occasion: on being
further questioned, he stated that this communicated with the Morumbidgee
more to the westward, and on my expressing a desire to go to it, he said
we could not do so under four days. We had, it appeared, by the account of
the seven natives, approached within one day's journey of it, and, as I
thought it would be advisable to gain a little knowledge of the country to
the north, I suggested to M'Leay to ride in that direction, while the
party should be at rest, with some good feed for the cattle that fortune
had pointed out to us.
EXCURSION TOWARDS THE LACHLAN.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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