,^'88'. to the, hiiman voie'e.& What itjproceeded;fro|ri w.t?:cGjjld not
* -Hifcover j •,but I:am of opinion .that i t was,; made, by,' a. bird,
f; ,,orifqm.e<animal. Thetc,<riiritry rourid,:u%was; by ,no . means fo
good,: or the grafs fo abundant, M that-which.vge had .paged.
.Th6 watery though,.neither clear,' ^qr in rany tgreat quantity,
3V'as,.neither of!* bad quality- nor' ill-tafted..
• The next day,V. after having/qwcdffUm©ieods-, ( p f |$®fj®d.
opr.route for three or four mjlqs tyeft, wherer ^ # 1 ^ , with
a.mean hut, belonging ,to fo.me of the natives, butrcould
not perceive, the fmaMeft trace,,of their ^hayi^gi Aee^ Ahej?
lately. Clofe to this hut we faw * Kangarqq,: .which JiUd
.come to drink at an. adjacent pool of.ftagnatcd:watetr ku&W,e
, could not ?g©t withirf’ fhot <tf. i«.f JmA * Ht%' farther,,-; op* I we
,£ell,in with three hutsf-'as ;,deferted;r_a^0the ..former,
and ja, fwamp, not unlike the American. rice grounds.
Near this,' we faw a tree in flames,; without -,the
appearance of.any natives; from which wC, fufpeded that
it had been fet on fire by lightning.,' T h is , circumflance
.was firft fuggefted by Lieutenant Ball; who.. had remarked,
.as well as myfelf, that every part of the though
the moft inacceflible and rocky, appeared a&; if> f f certain
times of the year; it had been all on fire. Indeed in
!■ many
many! -pth^^we-met with -Very, large trees^^ the-..trunks.;ofi
which arid - branches! wdreJ evidently! rent, - and ;demolifhed
by lightning.-- 'Cl'dfo^by „the '.burnings tree! werfaw three
kaiigaiMfiJs iiv -Though - by, this 7 time } very, rpuch, fatigued,'»
we'-pjdceedbdraibout two miles fartheron, in hopes o f flnchngr
fome'good'Water, but without'efied; and about-half paft-
four-, (^Gl'c|ck'(vve- took up-our? quarters near,-a ftagnantpeob
The ground wasufb; very- dry and parched,- that it was, with
fonSe* difficulty^ we "could -drive either, our tent pegs-jor pqle$
into* it.TheSfeouritr-yj about this- fpotiwas- much" clearer of
underwood--than that' which „weffiad. ppflecljiduring the day.
The ffeys^around us were immenfelydarge, _and the tops;.of
them<--filled’ With loraquets and paroquets, ,>©f rexquifite
beiuty, which i chattered to fuch. a degree, that we could
fcafGely' hhar each other-ipeak. We fired, feveral, tilries at
them, buth-he trees were go very high- that „vye killed*,’ but
feW- i
26th. We ftill direded: our couffe weftward;., arid pafled
another tree on fire; and, others ".which- were!holloiw, and
perforated by a finall-hqle'(..at;’the; b o tto^ in ,■ which, the
natives feemed 'fo have ffiar.ed . fome animal. It was
Certainly^ done by the natives,- :as the,.trees_ where.- thefe
’ holes .