Entering upon them on a north-west course, we proceeded over the open
ground, and saw three dark figures in the distance, who proved to be
women gathering seeds. They did not perceive us until we were so near to
them that they could not escape, but stood for some time transfixed with
amazement. On riding up we dismounted, and asked them by signs where
there was any water, to which question they signified most energetically
that there was none in the direction we were going, that it was to the
west. One of these women had a jet black skin, and long curling glossy
ringlets. She seemed indeed almost of a different race, and was, without
doubt, a secondary object of consideration with her companions; who, to
secure themselves I fancy, intimated to us that we might take her away;
this, however, we declined doing. One of the women went on with her
occupation of cleaning the grass seeds she had collected, all the time we
remained, humming a melancholy dirge. On leaving them, and turning to the
point where they said no water was to be found, they exhibited great
alarm, and followed us at a distance. Soon after we passed close to some
gum-trees and found a small dry channel under a sand hill on the other
side, running this down we came suddenly on two bough huts, before which
two or three little urchins were playing, who, the moment they saw us,
popped into the huts like rabbits.
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