Four of these savages had camped with the explorers the preceding night, leaving at daylight in the morning.

Sturt imagined that they had gone ahead as peace delegates, and he was thus most anxious to avoid a fight.

But the life of the whole party depended on prompt action being taken, and Sturt's eye was on the leader and his finger on the trigger when "my purpose," he says "was checked by MacLeay, who called to me that another party of blacks had made their appearance on the left bank of the river.

Turning round, I observed four men at the top of their speed." These were the dusky delegates, and the description given by Sturt of the conduct of the man who saved the situation is very graphic:-- [Illustration.

Junction of the Darling and Murray Rivers.] "The foremost of them, as soon as he got ahead of the boat, threw himself from a considerable height into the water.