8th May.
Pursuing our course down the left bank, we crossed several stream-beds
which drain the large tract of country between this and the Murchison.
The Gascoyne here divides into several broad sandy channels, sometimes as
much as a mile apart. Towards evening we came upon a native encampment;
few of the men appeared to have returned from their day's hunting, but we
observed upwards of thirty women and children, who ran into the bed of
the river to hide, some of the women immersing their children completely
under water occasionally to prevent their cry of alarm attracting our
attention. Although we had before met with and spoken to several natives,
this was the first opportunity we had of examining into their domestic
economy. Around their fires, of which there were many, were ranged a
number of wooden scoops capable of holding from two to four quarts; these
contained a variety of seed and roots; the most plentiful was a species
of grain like small plump drake, gathered from a grass much resembling
wheat, which is very abundant on the alluvial flats, and a root
resembling an onion not larger than a pistol bullet, a few rats, which
are very numerous in the grassy flats, and a small variety of samphire
like a Hottentot fig, formed the principal portion of their evening's
repast.
The few weapons left by the men consisted of heavy spears, with from
three to eighteen barbs cut out of the solid wood, the shaft from ten to
twelve feet in length, large shields resembling those in use by the
natives at Champion Bay, made from the sycamore, and few skins of the red
kangaroo, formed their entire camp equipment.