WILD CATTLE.
In the afternoon we again started in a south by east direction. About a mile after leaving the Murray we came suddenly upon four head of wild cattle; two, which were distant from us, made off to the mountains, but a noble white bull and a cow followed a line lying exactly in the course we were pursuing. As we had one saddle-horse, which I was then on, I could not resist having a gallop after them. I soon brought the bull to bay, but when he had taken breath he turned and made off again and, as I had no time to spare, I gave him no further interruption; on however wishing to ascertain the hour I found that my watch had fallen from my pocket during the course of the gallop.
NATIVE TRACKING.
I now waited until the party came up, when I requested Kaiber the native to walk back and find the watch. This he assured me was utterly impossible, and I really at the time agreed in this opinion; however as it was a watch I much valued I determined to make one effort. "Well, Kaiber," I said to him, "your people had told me you could see tracks well, but I find they are mistaken; you have but one eye, something is the matter with the other (this was really the case) no young woman will take you, for if you cannot follow my tracks and find a watch I have just dropped how can you kill game for her." This speech had the desired effect, and the promise of a shilling heightened his diligence, and I returned with him. The ground we had passed over was badly suited for the purpose of tracking and the scrub was thick; nevertheless, to my delight and surprise, within the period of half an hour my watch was restored to my pocket. This feat of Kaiber's surpassed anything of the sort I had previously seen performed by the natives.
We completed about eight miles and then halted for the night on the banks of a running stream issuing from a gorge in the hills. There was a considerable portion of good land in its neighbourhood and the horses appeared not a little pleased with the excellence of the feed.
The 13th we spent in passing a portion of the Darling Range. After travelling for eleven miles over a hilly country we came upon a beautiful valley between two steep and high hills. Two streams poured down into this valley and there formed a small freshwater lake. The scenery here was so green and verdant, the tranquil little lake was so covered with broad-leaved waterlilies, and the whole wore such an air of highland mountain scenery that I could readily have imagined I was once more in Scotland. About this lake there was also much good feed.
CROSS THE DARLING RANGE.
In the course of the afternoon we travelled eight miles further in an easterly direction, and were then obliged to halt without water, which we did not again succeed in finding after we left the lake.
TO THE HOTHAM RIVER.
On the morning of the 14th we had only travelled six miles in a due easterly direction when I found we had crossed the Darling Range; our course now lay along a level fertile plain, well fitted for pastoral purposes. We travelled across this a distance of about five miles when we came upon the river Bannister, which here was nothing but a series of large pools with good feed for cattle about them. We halted for breakfast and afterwards continued in an easterly direction, when, after travelling for another six miles, we reached the Hotham. The land we passed over between the Bannister and Hotham was equal in goodness to any I have seen in Western Australia.