CHAPTER VII.

Valley of the Murray--Its character and capabilities--Laborious progress up the river--Accident to the boat--Perilous collision with the natives --Turbid current of the Rufus--Passage of the Rapids--Assisted by the natives--Dangerous intercourse with them--Re-enter the Morumbidgee-- Verdant condition of its banks--Nocturnal encounter with the natives-- Interesting manifestation of feeling in one family--Reach the spot where the party had embarked on the river--Men begin to fail entirely-- Determine to send two men forward for relief--Their return--Excursion on horseback--Reach Pondebadgery Plain, and meet the supplies from the colony--Cannibalism of the natives--Return to Sydney--Concluding remarks.