Page:Extracts from the letters and journals of George Fletcher Moore.djvu/314

 288 the river, with which act of sportsmanship he was greatly delighted. He has just taken tea, and is sitting quite at home with the men in the kitchen. Weeip did not know what to make of the milk he saw me drink. Was it moco (water)? No. Grog (he had heard of grog at Bull's, and said it was "no good")? No.—Wine? No. Cow? No. He was puzzled till I imitated sucking; he at once understood me, and said "piccanny cow? yes! yes! yes!" and seemed quite satisfied. He looked at the guns, pistols, swords, bellows, tongs, &c., and now has much to talk and think about; in short, he has acquired new ideas.

This has been a very wet day, with thunder and lightning. I fear we shall have a flood this year like that in 1829 and 1830.

Sunday.—Rain, rain, rain; but it looks a little better this evening—river high. I have agreed to go to Perth with Weeip, when the rain ceases. The weather became milder last night, and continued so to-day, though there was some gentle rain. I thought we were likely to have it fine again, but this evening the wind is rising from the north-west (a bad sign).

Some natives have again been scraping up Edward's potatoes. I suspected some of our white people; but after examining the footmarks, it is evident that they were not the rogues. The footmarks are all in one line, one before the other; while a European's go in a double course