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The natives had never troubled my party on our advance; indeed I only saw them when I came upon them by surprise, and then they always ran off. Their first visit was received at my camp on the Karaula, during my absence down that river, when they were very friendly, but much disposed to steal.
Turning to the westward the party followed this river down for eighty miles, when he again returned to his northern course, and came to the largest river he had yet found. This was called, by the natives, the KARAULA, and Mitchell descended it until convinced, by its southern course and the junction of the Gwydir, that he was on the upper part of Sturt's Darling.
Trees, washed out by the roots from the soft soil, filled the bed of this river in many places. There was abundance of cod-fish of a small size, as well as of the two other kinds of fish which we had caught in the Peel, the Nammoy, and the Gwydir. The name of this river, as well as we could make it out from the natives, was Karaula.
Peace and plenty now smile on the banks of Wambool,* and British enterprise and industry may produce in time a similar change on the desolate banks of the Namoi, Gwydir, and Karaula, and throughout those extensive regions behind the Coast range, still further northward all as yet unpeopled, save by the wandering aborigines, who may then, as at Bathurst now, enjoy that security and protection to which they have so just a claim.
The natives had never troubled my party on our advance; indeed I only saw them when I came upon them by surprise, and then they always ran off. Their first visit was received at my camp on the Karaula, during my absence down that river, when they were very friendly, but much disposed to steal.
Settlement at King George's Sound The free colony of Swan River founded Governor Stirling Captain Bannister crosses from Perth to King George's Sound Explorations by Lieutenant Roe Disappointing nature of the interior Bunbury, Wilson, and Moore Settlement on the North Coast Melville Island and Raffles Bay An escaped convict's story The fabulous Kindur River Major Mitchell starts in search of it Discovery of the Namoi The Nundawar Range Failure of the boats Reach the Gwydir River of Cunningham The KARAULA Its identity with the Darling Murder of the two bullock-drivers Mitchell's return Murder of Captain Barker in Encounter Bay Major Mitchell's second expedition to trace the course of the Darling Traces the Bogan to its junction with that river Fort Bourke Progress down the river Hostility of the natives Skirmish with them Return Mitchell's third expedition The Lachlan followed Junction of the Darling and the Murray reached Mitchell's discovery of Australia Felix.
The great fact added to the geographical knowledge of Australia by the successful termination of this trip, was the identity of the Darling with the KARAULA on the north, and with Sturt's Murray junction on the south.
I went to them and showed them my watch, compass, etc.; when they pointed to the northward, making motions by which I supposed they meant to represent three courses of the sun; and I therefore concluded that they had seen me on the Karaula three years before. I then gave them a piece of my broken sword, and set off with a party on horseback to see the river Darling.
Having done all that man could do to find his lost friend, and even jeopardised the final success of his own expedition by the long delay of fourteen days, Mitchell resumed his journey by easy stages down the Bogan, and on the 25th of May reached the Darling, which was at once recognised by all the former members of the party as the "Karaula," from the peculiar attributes that characterised it.
On returning to Sydney from the banks of the Karaula my attention was immediately drawn to other duties, and especially to those of the department of roads and bridges, which had also been placed under my direction. I did however entertain hopes that I should be permitted at a subsequent period to continue my journey towards the north-west.
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