Page:Diary of ten years.djvu/345

327 near York as given to me by Begooin. The more I know of the transaction the more black it appears. There are other natives even in this neighbourhood who were present (I suppose the place is 40 miles from this); but I think it prudent to temporise a little, for all our force is on the other side of the hills now, and we are not strong enough to embroil ourselves with the tribes round about us.

August 21st.—A day of rain, which is very seasonable. Every year since I came here we have been predicting great floods in the winter, yet each winter has passed off quietly. This is the seventh since the great flood, and we made sure we should have one this winter, because there is a cycle of seven years observable at Sydney; but the winter is well nigh over, and the river has been very little above its summer level.

Tuesday.—Another day of rain. Saw two little native children to-day stealing some potatoes which were among growing barley, As they stooped and ran, hiding themselves, they put me in mind of the fairies which J M saw long ago in the "dark loamin" at Bond's Glen. Poor little things! their mothers had instructed them to go and steal, so I walked the mothers off, and they began to beat the children, not for stealing, but, like the Spartans, for being detected.

Wednesday.—I was going to Perth, when a constable and others came with great fuss to say that some strange natives had been observed in the neighbourhood who would not give their names, and ergo they must be of the party who killed the men over the hills. I hurried off and found some of my old acquaintances of Jainabingup, where I caught so many "cobblers" a year ago. They were glad to see me, and they might well be, for I could hardly restrain the officious eagerness of the people who wanted to take them, right or wrong. I find the benefit on many occasions of having seen so many natives at different places, as it enables me to do justice the more readily, either for or against them.