Their departure however was a serious loss to us, as they played somewhat the same part that the geese once did in the Capitol; for whenever our sable neighbours made the slightest movement the watchful sentinels of the cockatoos instantly detected it and, by stretching out their crests, screaming, standing on their toes on the highest trees, with their wings spread abroad to support them, and peering eagerly in the direction where the movement was made, they gave us faithful intimation of every motion.
When therefore this advanced guard took unto themselves wings and flew away I was obliged to keep all hands on the alert to prevent a surprise.
Whilst we were thus occupied our detachment returned and reported the country to be utterly impracticable.

I determined however to examine it myself the next morning in order to be quite satisfied upon so important a point.
March 16.
I moved off at dawn this morning with a party, but after following the direction of the stream for several miles I found that the whole of the land between it and the foot of the hills had been rendered by the heavy rains a marsh quite impassable for horses, which was rendered the more annoying as the swamp was not more than a mile in width, so that this slight space alone prevented us from pursuing our desired route.

Nothing however was now left us but to turn once more to the north-west, and thus to endeavour to head the marsh.
DANGER FROM NATIVES.
Just as we had prepared to return home the cries of the natives arose close to us; their fire was about half a mile away, and their calls had already several times been heard.

Now that they were so near us I thought it better to load my second barrel with ball, for I did not like their hanging about us in the way they had done for several days.

On putting my hand into my haversack in order to prepare some ammunition I found, to my great dismay, that I had taken in mistake one which belonged to another man and which contained no ammunition; nor was there a ball in possession of any person with me which would fit my gun and, as I knew that the aim of those with me was not much to be depended on, even under the coolest and most favourable circumstances, I thought that in the moment of a desperate attack it might be still less sure; this, added to the want of confidence incident on finding oneself unarmed and dependent on the protection of others, made me feel very uncomfortable until we once more reached the tents.
RAINS CONTINUE.