Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in North-West and Western Australia Volume I Part 18

SIGNS OF NATIVES.

We halted for breakfast near a stream of this kind, under the shade of a large group of the panda.n.u.s. This was evidently a favourite haunt of the natives, who had been feeding upon the almonds which this tree contains in its large complex fruit, and to give a relish to their repast had mingled with it roasted unios, or fresh-water mussels, which the stream produced in abundance. The remains of some old spears were also lying about, but the natives themselves were not visible.

Immediately after breakfast I ascended a hill to see if we could in any way get clear of the deep stream on the banks of which we had breakfasted. The Glenelg was distant about three miles to the south, and I found that, in order to disengage ourselves from the waters which almost encompa.s.sed us, we must turn off to the north-west, and thus almost double back on our former track, as there was no other resource. I returned at once to the party, and we spent the rest of the day in crossing two deep streams, and then proceeded about a mile to the eastward, where we halted for the night on the bank of a rocky watercourse, but not containing a drop of water. The timber today was larger than I had yet seen it, affording many new kinds, and one in particular, resembling in appearance and quality the English ash.

March 9.

We moved through a low country, densely vegetated, and still abounding in deep sluggish streams, almost unapproachable, on account of a dwarf bamboo and other tropical plants which clothed their margins. Some of these streams were twenty feet deep and upwards, and looked more like ca.n.a.ls than natural watercourses.

CASCADE OF THE RIVER.

The point where we halted for the night was not very distant from the river, for its roaring, as it forced itself over a rapid, could be distinctly heard. As it was important to ascertain if it ceased to be navigable at this point, as well as whether it could be here forded or not, I ordered a party to proceed at daylight and examine it, and in the interim we laid down to enjoy such repose as myriads of mosquitoes would allow us.

March 10.

The party started at dawn and did not return until the afternoon. They arrived at low-water at a point where the river formed a series of rapids and was apparently broken into several channels; the one which they reached was not more than fifty or sixty yards wide, the tide at low water being full seven or eight feet below the level of the rocks which formed the rapids, but at high-water it rose, judging from the marks on the rocks, as many feet above them. This channel would therefore cease to be navigable for vessels at this point, but large boats could proceed up it at high-water. There was no apparent possibility of our being able to pa.s.s it hereabouts on account of the great rapidity of the current. The river continued fresh below the rapids, and their account of the character of the country they saw was most satisfactory.

INCONVENIENT HALTING PLACE.

Almost immediately after they had entered the camp the rain began to fall in such torrents that it was impossible for us to move; this was unfortunate for where we were halted was unfit for a day's resting-place, and we should consequently be compelled to move on Sunday morning instead of making it a day of perfect rest. The point where the party made the river today was about south lat.i.tude 15 degrees 41 minutes; east longitude 124 degrees 53 minutes.

CHAPTER 9. TO THE UPPER GLENELG.

WORKS OF NATIVE INDUSTRY.

March 11.

The country we traversed this morning was still marshy, and intersected by deep streams. The party had yesterday fixed upon a point for us to encamp at; but, a sudden inundation having taken place, we could not cross a stream which lay between us and the spot selected, so that we were compelled about noon to halt at a position very ill adapted for our purpose.

VARIOUS TRACES OF NATIVES.

Close to our camp was a large ma.s.s of basaltic rocks, on which the natives had lately been, and had left behind them a few old spears: some drawings were also scratched upon the rocks, representing heads, hands, and other parts of the human frame: they were however indifferently executed.

Another branch of industry which had engaged their attention was the manufacture of stone spearheads, the chips and remnants of which were lying about on every side. As this looked very like a preparation to give us a warm reception I kept upon the alert. From constantly sleeping on the wet ground, and the exposure I was obliged to undergo, such an attack of rheumatism had been produced in my left hip and knee that I was not only crippled but suffered such dreadful agony from my wounded limb that I was able to pay but little attention to pa.s.sing events.

I crept about however as well as I could, and found that we were in a very populous neighbourhood. At one place a large party of natives appeared to have lived for some time, twelve bark beds having been left in a circle round a fire. In this respect they differ in custom from the natives of the southern parts of Australia, who generally sleep all of a heap, or, at least, four or five persons together, whereas each individual here appeared to occupy his own little bark bed. In the course of the morning's march we had pa.s.sed a very neat native oven, or fireplace, much more carefully constructed than anything of the kind I have since seen; it consisted of a hole sunk eight inches deep in the earth, which was quite circular, three feet in diameter, and very neatly paved and lined with flat stones; the last article cooked here had been a large quant.i.ty of turtles' eggs, the remnants of which were lying scattered all around. This is a dish by no means to be despised; and the discovery was rather interesting to me as it proved that turtle came so far up the river. It rained hard during the greater part of the day.

March 12.

As we were preparing to start this morning one of the ponies was found to be so knocked up as to be unable to proceed; I therefore abandoned it, though, I fear, in a state too far gone to recover; but if perfect rest and abundance of good feed and water could effect a restoration it had still a fair chance.

DIFFICULTIES OF THE ROUTE.

A ford over the stream had yesterday been found between the Glenelg and our encampment, which we now succeeded in getting the ponies over, and, in order to avoid another stream, which had been seen to the eastward, we turned north-east, but in about three miles were again at fault, on the banks of a deep brook. I now turned due north and, after tracing the stream for about a mile, discovered a ford across which, after a due proportion of sticking in the mud and falling with their loads in the deep water, we led all the ponies, and found ourselves happily established in a jungle on the other side of it. The vegetation here consisted of gra.s.s and reeds which rose so high and thick that I could see nothing over them, although there was rising land within a mile of us.

We first endeavoured to push through this jungle in an easterly direction; but, after having very resolutely made our way onwards for about an hour, I saw some very high land to the south-east of us, distant four or five miles, and therefore changed the direction of our march to make for these hills; as soon as we had gained a clear place in the jungle I halted for breakfast, and, after resting for an hour, we continued, notwithstanding the dreadful heat of the day, to move on, but soon again came to a deep, sluggish stream which obliged us to turn off to the north-east; and it was not until near nightfall that we found a place where we could cross it.

MOUNT LYELL.

Having traversed the stream we proceeded to the foot of a very lofty peak, the most remarkable hill in this part of the country, and which I named Mount Lyell, after C. Lyell, Esquire. We here pitched the tents, and scarcely was this operation performed ere the rain fell in such torrents that the water stood even under them to the depth of two or three inches, and yet the tents were fixed in the best position that could be found. The night was dark and stormy so that, even had a better place offered, it would now have been useless to move; we therefore resigned ourselves to our fate and lay down on our watery beds, which possessed at least one merit, that they were free from mosquitoes.

March 13.

Before the mists of morning had cleared away from the lofty hills to the north-east of our encampment I had commenced their ascent with a party of three men. To my great vexation, on taking out the barometer at the bottom of the hill, it was broken, and I could therefore no longer hope to be able to obtain the height of remarkable elevations. I managed to ride the pony up the hill for some time, but the broken and rocky nature of the ground obliged me at last to walk, and I left the animal tethered in rich gra.s.s higher than itself.

VIEW FROM IT. MAGNIFICENT PROSPECT.

When we gained the summit of the hill I found that in the mists of the morning we had ascended the wrong peak. The one we stood on was composed of basalt and at least twelve hundred feet high; but Mount Lyell, another peak springing from the same range, and not more than a mile to the eastward, must have been four or five hundred feet higher. It was moreover distinguished by a very remarkable feature, namely, a regular circle, as it were, drawn round the peak, some two hundred feet below the summit, and above this ring no trees grew; the conical peak which reared its head above the region of trees being only clothed with the greenest gra.s.s, whilst that on which I stood and all the others I could see were thinly wooded to their very summits.

The peak we had ascended afforded us a very beautiful view: to the north lay Prince Regent's River, and the good country we were now upon extended as far as the inlets which communicated with this great navigable stream; to the south and south-westward ran the Glenelg, meandering through as verdant and fertile a district as the eye of man ever rested on. The luxuriance of tropical vegetation was now seen to the greatest advantage, in the height of the rainy season. The smoke of native fires rose in various directions from the country, which lay like a map at our feet; and when I recollected that all these natural riches of soil and climate lay between two navigable rivers, and that its sea-coast frontage, not much exceeding fifty miles in lat.i.tude, contained three of the finest harbours in the world, in each of which the tide rose and fell thirty-seven and a half feet, I could not but feel we were in a land singularly favoured by nature.

CONTINUATION OF ROUTE. TORRENTS OF RAIN.

I remained for some time on the summit of this hill, enjoying the prospect, and taking bearings. When this operation was completed we returned to the camp and prepared once more to proceed upon our route; but, to our misfortune, had not made more than two or three miles through a fertile country when the rain again fell in such torrents that we were compelled to halt. Indeed none but those who have been in tropical countries can at all conceive with what suddenness and force these storms burst upon us.

March 14.

We this morning made an attempt to get clear of the marshes by following a south-easterly course, and were thus forced up into a range of lofty basaltic mountains, the slopes of which were of the richest description.

Had our ponies been provided with shoes we could have travelled here with great speed and facility, but the higher land was invariably covered with sharp pebbles over which the unshod ponies could only move with pain and difficulty. When however we had gained the summit of the range the view from it was similar to that which I have just described. Mount Wellington and Mount Trafalgar formed splendid objects, rearing their bold rocky heads over St. George's Basin, which now bore the appearance of being a vast lake. The pleasure of the prospect was however in my eyes somewhat diminished from seeing on the other side of the range so considerable a stream that I antic.i.p.ated great difficulty in crossing it; I therefore steered a course somewhat more southerly than our former route and, having reached the extremity of the range, we once more descended into the fertile lowlands.

GLENELG RIVER.

Along these our course continued through an uninterrupted succession of rich flats, thinly wooded but luxuriantly gra.s.sed, until near sunset, when, as we were about descending the brow of a low hill, I found that the Glenelg, having made a sudden turn, was close to us, whilst in our front, and completely blocking up our pa.s.sage, there was a very large tributary which joined the river from the north-east; I therefore halted the party here for the night, and at once proceeded down to the river.

It was quite fresh and running at the rate of more than five knots an hour; the bed was composed of fine white sand, and even close to the margin it was 2 1/2 fathoms in depth. The trees which bordered it were of a gigantic height and size, I think the largest that I have seen in Australia; whilst it was almost impossible to get down to the stream, from the denseness of the vegetation on its banks. Before we reached the main channel of the river we had several smaller ones to cross, but of very insignificant depth.

I stood for some time watching this dark turbid stream sweeping rapidly along, and could not but wonder where so great a body of water could have its source. I had then seen no other Australian rivers, but judging from description this differed widely from them all.

I have since visited many of the most noted Australian streams and found this distinguished by many peculiar characteristics; nor would I hesitate to say that, with exception perhaps of the Murray, it will be found the most important on that continent; and, taking into consideration its geographical position, the fertility of the country on its banks, as far as it is yet known, and the rise and fall of tide, it may perhaps not yield in consideration even to the Murray.

TORRENTS OF RAIN.

I now examined the tributary stream which here joined the Glenelg, and to my chagrin found that it was so much swollen by the late rains as to be utterly impa.s.sable. To attempt to construct a bridge over it would have been useless for the adjacent ground was now so swampy the horses were bogged before we got them near it. I wandered up its banks as far as I could before nightfall, but could not succeed in finding any place in our vicinity at which we might hope to effect our pa.s.sage. Just as it got dark the rain again began to pour in torrents; thus, if possible, rendering our position worse than before, and I returned late to the tents much dispirited at the unfavourable weather we had encountered.

RISE OF THE WATERS. MARKS OF INUNDATIONS.

On going down to the Glenelg the next morning I found it so swollen by the heavy rain of the preceding night as to render it impossible to get near the main bed. The river was now far beyond its banks, and in the forks of the trees above our heads we saw driftwood, reeds, dead gra.s.s, etc., lodged at least fifteen feet higher than the present level; and which could only have been left there during some great flood. Whether these had frequently recurred we had of course no means of judging, but during such floods the whole of the very low country which we here saw to the south-west of us must be inundated. I need scarcely add that in a tropical country no ground could be conceived better adapted to the growth of rice than the extensive levels which border the Glenelg.

A detached party now went of to search for a route by which we could proceed. The stock-keeper came and reported that the sheep were suffering greatly from the continued rain and exposure to wet, several of them having died during the night; only five were thus left alive out of the number we started with, and, one of these being in a drooping state, I had it killed that we might not lose the advantage of it altogether.

NATIVES.

Immediately on the other side of the tributary stream which lay to the south of us there rose a high precipitous sandy range, similar to those we had fallen in with on first landing. This range completely overlooked our encampment from a distance, and on it a party of natives had posted themselves. We saw the smoke of their fires and heard their own cries and the yelling of their dogs; and with the help of my telescope I once distinguished their dusky forms moving about in the bush.

c.o.c.kATOOS.

A large flight of c.o.c.katoos which lay between us and them were kept in a constant state of screaming anxiety from the movements of one or the other party, and at last found their position so unpleasant that they evacuated it and flew off to some more quiet roosting-place. Their departure however was a serious loss to us, as they played somewhat the same part that the geese once did in the Capitol; for whenever our sable neighbours made the slightest movement the watchful sentinels of the c.o.c.katoos instantly detected it and, by stretching out their crests, screaming, standing on their toes on the highest trees, with their wings spread abroad to support them, and peering eagerly in the direction where the movement was made, they gave us faithful intimation of every motion.