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+The Project Gutenberg Etext of Two Expeditions into the Interior of 
+Southern Australia Volume II by Charles Sturt
+#2 in our series by Charles Sturt
+
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+Title: Two Expeditions into the Interior of Southern Australia Volume II
+
+Author: Charles Sturt
+
+Release Date: August, 2003 [Etext# 4329]
+[Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule]
+[This file was first posted on January 8, 2002]
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+The Project Gutenberg Etext of Two Expeditions into the Interior of 
+Southern Australia Volume II by Charles Sturt
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+
+TWO EXPEDITIONS INTO THE INTERIOR OF SOUTHERN AUSTRALIA DURING THE YEARS
+1828,1829,1830,1831 WITH OBSERVATIONS ON THE SOIL, CLIMATE AND GENERAL
+RESOURCES OF THE COLONY OF NEW SOUTH WALES.
+
+IN TWO VOLUMES
+
+VOLUME II.
+
+
+"For though most men are contented only to see a river as it runs by
+them, and talk of the changes in it as they happen; when it is troubled,
+or when clear; when it drowns the country in a flood, or forsakes it in a
+drought: yet he that would know the nature of the water, and the causes of
+those accidents (so as to guess at their continuance or return), must find
+out its source, and observe with what strength it rises, what length it
+runs, and how many small streams fall in, and feed it to such a height,
+as make it either delightful or terrible to the eye, and useful or
+dangerous to the country about it."...SIR WILLIAM TEMPLE'S NETHERLANDS.
+
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS OF THE SECOND VOLUME
+
+EXPEDITION DOWN THE MORUMBIDGEE AND MURRAY RIVERS, IN 1829, 1830 AND 1831.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+Introductory--Remarks on the results of the former Expedition--The
+fitting out of another determined on--Its objects--Provisions,
+accoutrements, and retinue--Paper furnished by Mr. Kent--Causes that have
+prevented the earlier appearance of the present work.
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+Commencement of the expedition in November, 1829.--Joined by Mr. George
+M'Leay--Appearance of the party--Breadalbane Plains--Hospitality of Mr.
+O'Brien--Yass Plains--Hill of Pouni--Path of a hurricane--Character of the
+country between Underaliga and the Morumbidgee--Appearance of that river--
+Junction of the Dumot with it--Crossing and recrossing--Geological
+character and general aspect of the country--Plain of Pondebadgery--Few
+natives seen.
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+Character of the Morumbidgee where it issues from the hilly country--
+Appearance of approach to swamps--Hamilton Plains--Intercourse with the
+natives--Their appearance, customs, &c.--Change in the character of the
+river--Mirage-- Dreariness of the country--Ride towards the Lachlan river
+--Two boats built and launched on the Morumbidgee; and the drays, with
+part of the men sent back to Goulburn Plains.
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+Embarkation of the party in the boats, and voyage down the Morumbidgee--
+The skiff swamped by striking on a sunken tree--Recovery of boat and its
+loading--Region of reeds--Dangers of the navigation--Contraction of the
+channel--Reach the junction of a large river--Intercourse with the natives
+on its banks--Character of the country below the junction of the rivers--
+Descent of a dangerous rapid--Warlike demonstrations of a tribe of
+natives--Unexpected deliverance from a conflict with them--Junction of
+another river--Give the name of the "Murray" to the principal stream.
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+Character of the country--Damage of provisions--Adroitness of the natives
+in catching fish--The skiff broken up--Stream from the North-East supposed
+to be the Darling--Change of country in descending the river--Intercourse
+with the natives--Prevalence of loathsome diseases among them--Apparent
+populousness of the country--Junction of several small streams--The Rufus,
+the Lindesay, &c.--Rainy and tempestuous weather--Curious appearance of
+the banks--Troublesomeness of the natives--Inhospitable and desolate
+aspect of the country--Condition of the men--Change in the geological
+character of the country--The river passes through a valley among hills.
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+Improvement in the aspect of the country--Increase of the river--Strong
+westerly gales--Chronometer broken--A healthier tribe of natives--
+Termination of the Murray in a large lake--Its extent and environs--
+Passage across it--Hostile appearance of the natives-- Beautiful scenery
+--Channel from the lake to the sea at Encounter Bay--Reach the beach--
+Large flocks of water fowl--Curious refraction--State of provisions--
+Embarrassing situation--Inspection of the channel to the ocean--Weak
+condition of the men--Difficulties of the return.
+
+
+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.
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+Environs of the lake Alexandrina--Appointment of Capt. Barker to make a
+further survey of the coast near Encounter Bay--Narrative of his
+proceedings--Mount Lofty, Mount Barker, and beautiful country adjacent--
+Australian salmon--Survey of the coast--Outlet of lake to the sea--
+Circumstances that led to the slaughter of Capt. Barker by the natives--
+His character--Features of this part of the country and capabilities of
+its coasts--Its adaptation for colonization--Suggestions for the
+furtherance of future Expeditions.
+
+
+APPENDIX.
+
+No. I.  Geological Specimens found to the south-west of Port Jackson
+No. II. Official Report to the Colonial Government
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS TO THE SECOND VOLUME
+(Not included in this etext)
+
+View on the Morumbidgee River
+Junction of the supposed Darling with the Murray
+Palaeornis Melanura, or Black Tailed Paroquet
+Pomatorhinus Temporalis
+Pomatorhinus Superciliosus
+Chart of Cape Jervis, and Encounter Bay
+Mass of Fossils of the Tertiary Formation
+Bulla
+Conus
+Genus Unknown
+Chrystallized Selenite
+Selenite
+Single Fossils of the Tertiary Formation
+
+
+
+
+EXPEDITION DOWN THE MORUMBIDGEE AND MURRAY RIVERS, IN 1829, 1830 AND 1831.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+
+
+Introductory
+
+
+Remarks on the results of the former Expedition--The fitting out of
+another determined on--Its objects--Provisions, accoutrements, and
+retinue--Paper furnished by Mr. Kent--Causes that have prevented the
+earlier appearance of the present work.
+
+OBJECTS OF THE EXPEDITION.
+
+The expedition of which we have just detailed the proceedings was so far
+satisfactory in its results, that it not only set at rest the hypothesis
+of the existence of an internal shoal sea in southern Australia, and
+ascertained the actual termination of the rivers it had been directed to
+trace, but also added very largely to our knowledge of the country
+considerably to the westward of former discoveries. And although no land
+had been traversed of a fertile description of sufficient extent to invite
+the settler, the fact of a large river such as the Darling lying at the
+back of our almost intertropical settlements, gave a fresh importance to
+the distant interior. It was evident that this river was the chief drain
+for carrying off the waters falling westerly from the eastern coast, and
+as its course indicated a decline of country diametrically opposite to
+that which had been calculated upon, it became an object of great
+importance to ascertain its further direction. Had not the saline quality
+of its waters been accounted for, by the known existence of brine springs
+in its bed, it would have been natural to have supposed that it
+communicated with some mediterranean sea; but, under existing
+circumstances, it remained to be proved whether this river held on a due
+south course, or whether it ultimately turned westerly, and ran into the
+heart of the interior. In order fully to determine this point, it would be
+necessary to regain it banks, so far below the parallel to which it had
+been traced as to leave no doubt of its identity; but it was difficult to
+fix upon a plan for approaching that central stream without suffering from
+the want of water, since it could hardly be expected that the Lachlan
+would afford such means, as it was reasonable to presume that its
+termination was very similar to that of the Macquarie. The attention of
+the government was, consequently, fixed upon the Morumbidgee, a river
+stated to be of considerable size and of impetuous current. Receiving its
+supplies from the lofty ranges behind Mount Dromedary, it promised to hold
+a longer course than those rivers which, depending on periodical rains
+alone for existence, had been found so soon to exhaust themselves.
+
+PREPARATIONS.
+
+The fitting out of another expedition was accordingly determined upon; and
+about the end of September 1829, I received the Governor's instructions to
+make the necessary preparations for a second descent into the interior,
+for the purpose of tracing the Morumbidgee, or such rivers as it might
+prove to be connected with, as far as practicable. In the event of failure
+in this object, it was hoped that an attempt to regain the banks of the
+Darling on a N.W. course from the point at which the expedition might be
+thwarted in its primary views, would not be unattended with success. Under
+any circumstances, however, by pursuing these measures, an important part
+of the colony would necessarily be traversed, of which the features were
+as yet altogether unknown.
+
+It became my interest and my object to make the expedition as complete as
+possible, and, as far as in me lay, to provide for every contingency: and
+as it appeared to me that, in all likelihood, we should in one stage or
+other of our journey have to trust entirely to water conveyance, I
+determined on taking a whale-boat, whose dimensions and strength should in
+some measure be proportioned to the service required. I likewise
+constructed a small still for the distillation of water, in the event of
+our finding the water of the Darling salt, when we should reach its banks.
+The whale-boat, after being fitted, was taken to pieces for more
+convenient carriage, as has been more particularly detailed in the last
+chapter of the preceding volume.
+
+So little danger had been apprehended from the natives in the former
+journey, that three firelocks had been considered sufficient for our
+defence. On the present occasion, however, I thought it adviseable to
+provide arms for each individual.
+
+Mr. Hume declined accompanying me, as the harvest was at hand. Mr. George
+M'Leay therefore supplied his place, rather as a companion than as an
+assistant; and of those who accompanied me down the banks of the
+Macquarie, I again selected Harris (my body servant), Hopkinson, and
+Fraser.
+
+MR. KENT'S REPORT.
+
+The concluding chapter of this volume, relative to the promontory of
+St. Vincent, or Cape Jarvis, has been furnished me by the kindness of
+Mr. Kent, who accompanied the lamented officer to whom the further
+exploration of that part of coast unhappily proved fatal. There is a
+melancholy coincidence between Captain Barker's death and that of Captain
+Cook, which cannot fail to interest the public, as the information that
+has been furnished will call for their serious consideration. I shall
+leave for their proper place, the remarks I have to offer upon it, since
+my motive in these prefatory observations has been, to carry the reader
+forward to that point at which he will have to view the proceedings of the
+expedition alone, in order the more satisfactorily to arrive at their
+results. And, although he must expect a considerable portion of dry
+reading in the following pages, I have endeavoured to make the narrative
+of events, some of which are remarkably striking, as interesting as
+possible.
+
+REMARKS ON THE PRESENT WORK; DELIVERANCE FROM DANGERS.
+
+It only remains for me to refer the reader to the concluding chapter of
+the preceding volume, for such general information as I have been enabled
+to furnish upon the nature of the services on which I was employed, and on
+the manner of conducting similar expeditions. Indeed, I trust that this
+book (whatever be its defects) will be found to contain much valuable
+information of a practical character, and I may venture to affirm, that it
+will give a true description of the country, and of the various other
+subjects of which it treats.
+
+Notwithstanding that I have in my dedication alluded to the causes that
+prevented the earlier appearance of this work, I feel it due both to
+myself and the public here to state, that during these expeditions my
+health had suffered so much, that I was unable to bear up against the
+effects of exposure, bodily labour, poverty of diet, and the anxiety of
+mind to which I was subjected. A residence on Norfolk Island, under
+peculiarly harassing circumstances, completed that which the above causes
+had commenced; and, after a succession of attacks, I became totally blind,
+and am still unable either to read what I pen, or to venture abroad
+without an attendant. When it is recollected, that I have been unassisted
+in this work in any one particular, I hope some excuse will be found for
+its imperfections. A wish to contribute to the public good led me to
+undertake those journeys which have cost me so much. The same feeling
+actuates me in recording their results; and I have the satisfaction to
+know, that my path among a large and savage population was a bloodless
+one; and that my intercourse with them was such as to lessen the danger to
+future adventurers upon such hazardous enterprises, and to give them hope
+where I had so often despaired. Something more powerful, than human
+foresight or human prudence, appeared to avert the calamities and dangers
+with which I and my companions were so frequently threatened; and had it
+not been for the guidance and protection we received from the Providence
+of that good and all-wise Being to whose care we committed ourselves, we
+should, ere this, have ceased to rank among the number of His earthly
+creatures.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+
+
+Commencement of the expedition in November, 1829.--Joined by Mr. George
+M'Leay--Appearance of the party--Breadalbane Plains--Hospitality of Mr.
+O'Brien--Yass Plains--Hill of Pouni--Path of a hurricane--Character of the
+country between Underaliga and the Morumbidgee--Appearance of that river--
+Junction of the Dumot with it--Crossing and recrossing--Geological
+character and general aspect of the country--Plain of Pondebadgery--Few
+natives seen.
+
+
+The expedition which traversed the marshes of the Macquarie, left Sydney
+on the 10th day of Nov. 1828. That destined to follow the waters of the
+Morumbidgee, took its departure from the same capital on the 3rd of the
+same month in the ensuing year. Rain had fallen in the interval, but not
+in such quantities as to lead to the apprehension that it had either
+influenced or swollen the western streams. It was rather expected that the
+winter falls would facilitate the progress of the expedition, and it was
+hoped that, as the field of its operations would in all probability be
+considerably to the south of the parallel of Port Jackson, the extreme
+heat to which the party and the animals had been exposed on the former
+journey, would be less felt on the present occasion.
+
+As there was no Government establishment to the S.W. at which I could
+effect any repairs, or recruit my supplies, as I had done at Wellington
+Valley, the expedition, when it left Sydney, was completed in every
+branch, and was so fully provided with every necessary implement and
+comfort, as to render any further aid, even had such been attainable, in a
+great measure unnecessary. The Governor had watched over my preparations
+with a degree of anxiety that evidenced the interest he felt in the
+expedition, and his arrangements to ensure, as far as practicable, our
+being met on our return, in the event of our being in distress, were
+equally provident and satisfactory. It was not, however, to the providing
+for our wants in the interior alone that His Excellency's views were
+directed, but orders were given to hold a vessel in readiness, to be
+dispatched at a given time to St. Vincent's Gulf, in case we should
+ultimately succeed in making the south coast in its neighbourhood.
+
+LEAVE SYDNEY.
+
+The morning on which I left Sydney a second time, under such doubtful
+circumstances, was perfectly serene and clear. I found myself at 5 a.m. of
+that delightful morning leading my horses through the gates of those
+barracks whose precincts I might never again enter, and whose inmates I
+might never again behold assembled in military array. Yet, although the
+chance of misfortune flashed across my mind, I was never lighter at heart,
+or more joyous in spirit. It appeared to me that the stillness and harmony
+of nature influenced my feelings on the occasion, and my mind forgot the
+storms of life, as nature at that moment seemed to have forgotten the
+tempests that sometimes agitate her.
+
+APPEARANCE OF THE PARTY.
+
+I proceeded direct to the house of my friend Mr. J. Deas Thomson, who had
+agreed to accompany me to Brownlow Hill, a property belonging to
+Mr. M'Leay, the Colonial Secretary, where his son, Mr. George M'Leay, was
+to join the expedition. As soon as we had taken a hasty breakfast, I went
+to the carters' barracks to superintend the first loading of the animals.
+Mr. Murray, the superintendent, had arranged every article so well, and
+had loaded the drays so compactly that I had no trouble, and little time
+was lost in saddling the pack animals. At a quarter before 7 the party
+filed through the turnpike-gate, and thus commenced its journey with the
+greatest regularity. I have the scene, even at this distance of time,
+vividly impressed upon my mind, and I have no doubt the kind friend who
+was near me on the occasion, bears it as strongly on his recollection.
+My servant Harris, who had shared my wanderings and had continued in my
+service for eighteen years, led the advance, with his companion Hopkinson.
+Nearly abreast of them the eccentric Fraser stalked along wholly lost in
+thought. The two former had laid aside their military habits, and had
+substituted the broad brimmed hat and the bushman's dress in their place,
+but it was impossible to guess how Fraser intended to protect himself from
+the heat or the damp, so little were his habiliments suited for the
+occasion. He had his gun over his shoulder, and his double shot belt as
+full as it could be of shot, although there was not a chance of his
+expending a grain during the day. Some dogs Mr. Maxwell had kindly sent me
+followed close at his heels, as if they knew his interest in them, and
+they really seemed as if they were aware that they were about to exchange
+their late confinement for the freedom of the woods. The whole of these
+formed a kind of advanced guard. At some distance in the rear the drays
+moved slowly along, on one of which rode the black boy mentioned in my
+former volume, and behind them followed the pack animals. Robert Harris,
+whom I had appointed to superintend the animals generally, kept his place
+near the horses, and the heavy Clayton, my carpenter, brought up the rear.
+I shall not forget the interest Thomson appeared to take in a scene that
+must certainly have been new to him. Our progress was not checked by the
+occurrence of a single accident, nor did I think it necessary to remain
+with the men after we had gained that turn which, at about four miles from
+Sydney, branches off to the left, and leads direct to Liverpool. From this
+Point my companion and I pushed forward, in order to terminate a fifty
+miles' ride a little sooner than we should have done at the leisurely pace
+we had kept during the early part of our journey. We remained in Liverpool
+for a short time, to prepare the commissariat office for the reception,
+and to ensure the accommodation, of the party; and reached Brownlow Hill
+a little after sunset.
+
+LIVERPOOL-GOULBURN PLAINS.
+
+As I have already described the country on this line of road as far us
+Goulburn Plains, it will not be considered necessary that I should again
+notice its features with minuteness.
+
+WALLANDILLY-TYRANNA.
+
+The party arrived at Glendarewel, the farm attached to Brownlow Hill, on
+the 5th. I resumed my journey alone on the 8th. M'Leay had still some few
+arrangements to make, so that I dispensed with his immediate attendance.
+He overtook me, however, sooner than I expected, on the banks of the
+Wallandilly. I had encamped under the bluff end of Cookbundoon, and,
+having been disappointed in getting bearings when crossing the Razor Back,
+I hoped that I should be enabled to connect a triangle from the summit
+of Cookbundoon, or to secure bearings of some prominent hill to the south.
+I found the brush, however, so thick on the top of the mountain, that I
+could obtain no satisfactory view, and and M'Leay, who accompanied me,
+agreed with me in considering that we were but ill repaid for the hot
+scramble we had had. Crossing the western extremity of Goulburn Plains on
+the 15th, we encamped on a chain of ponds behind Doctor Gibson's residence
+at Tyranna, and as I had some arrangements to make with that gentleman,
+I determined to give both the men and animals a day's rest. I availed
+myself of Doctor Gibson's magazines to replace such of my provisions as I
+had expended, as I found that I could do so without putting him to any
+inconvenience; and I added two of his men to the party, intending to send
+them back, in case of necessity, or, when we should have arrived at that
+point from which it might appear expedient to forward an account of my
+progress and ultimate views, for the governor's information.
+
+On the 17th we struck the tents, and, crossing the chain of ponds near
+which they had been pitched, entered a forest track, that gave place to
+barren stony ridges of quartz formation. These continued for six or seven
+miles, in the direction of Breadalbane Plains, upon which we were obliged
+to stop, as we should have had some difficulty in procuring either water
+or food, within any moderate distance beyond them. The water, indeed, that
+we were obliged to content ourselves with was by no means good.
+Breadalbane Plains are of inconsiderable extent, and are surrounded by
+ridges, the appearance of which is not very promising. Large white masses
+of quartz rock lie scattered over them, amongst trees of stunted growth.
+Mr. Redall's farm was visible at the further extremity of the plains from
+that by which we had entered them. It would appear that these plains are
+connected with Goulburn Plains by a narrow valley, that was too wet for
+the drays to have traversed.
+
+BREADALBANE PLAINS.
+
+Doctor Gibson had kindly accompanied us to Breadalbane Plains. On the
+morning of the 18th he returned to Tyranna, and we pursued our journey,
+keeping mostly on a W.S.W. course. From the barren hills over which we
+passed, on leaving the plains, we descended upon an undulating country,
+and found a change of rock, as well as of vegetation, upon it. Granite and
+porphyry constituted its base. An open forest, on which the eucalyptus
+mannifera alone prevailed, lay on either side of us, and although the soil
+was coarse, and partook in a great measure of the decomposition of the
+rock it covered, there was no deficiency of grass. On the contrary, this
+part of the interior is decidedly well adapted for pasturing cattle.
+
+THE LORN.
+
+About 1 p.m. we passed Mr. Hume's station, with whom I remained for a
+short time. He had fixed his establishment on the banks of the Lorn, a
+small river, issuing from the broken country near Lake George, and now
+ascertained to be one of the largest branches of the Lachlan River. We had
+descended a barren pass of stringy bark scrub, on sandstone rock, a little
+before we reached Mr. Hume's station, but around it the same, open forest
+tract again prevailed. We crossed the Lorn, at 2 o'clock, leaving
+Mr. Broughton's farm upon our left, and passed through a broken country,
+which was very far from being deficient in pasture. We encamped on the
+side of a water-course, about 4 o'clock, having travelled about fifteen
+miles.
+
+On the 19th, we observed no change in the soil or aspect of the country,
+for the first five miles. The eucalyptus mannifera was the most prevalent
+of the forest trees, and certainly its presence indicated a more
+flourishing state in the minor vegetation. At about five miles, however,
+from where we had slept, sandstone reappeared, and with it the barren
+scrub that usually grows upon a sandy and inhospitable soil. One of the
+drays was upset in its progress down a broken pass, where the road had
+been altogether neglected, and it was difficult to avoid accidents.
+Fortunately we suffered no further than in the delay that the necessity of
+unloading the dray, and reloading it, occasioned. Mr. O'Brien, an
+enterprising settler, who had pushed his flocks to the banks of the
+Morumbidgee, and who was proceeding to visit his several stations,
+overtook us in the midst of our troubles. We had already passed each other
+frequently on the road, but he now preceded me to his establishment at
+Yass; at which I proposed remaining for a day. We stopped about three
+miles short of the plains for the night, at the gorge of the pass through
+which we had latterly been advancing, and had gradually descended to a
+more open country. From the place at which we were temporarily delayed,
+and which is not inappropriately called the Devil's Pass, the road winds
+about between ranges, differing in every respect from any we had as yet
+noticed. The sides of the hills were steeper, and their summits sharper,
+than any we had crossed. They were thickly covered with eucalypti and
+brush, and, though based upon sandstone, were themselves of a schistose
+formation.
+
+YASS PLAINS.
+
+Yharr or Yass Plains were discovered by Mr. Hovel, and Mr. Hume, the
+companion of my journey down the Macquarie, in 1828. They take their name
+from the little river that flows along their north and north-west
+boundaries. They are surrounded on every side by forests, and excepting to
+the W.N.W., as a central point, by hill. Undulating, but naked themselves,
+they have the appearance of open downs, and are most admirably adapted for
+sheep-walks, not only in point of vegetation, but also, because their
+inequalities prevent their becoming swampy during the rainy season. They
+are from nine to twelve miles in length and from five to seven in breadth,
+and although large masses of sandstone are scattered over them, a blue
+secondary limestone composes the general bed of the river, that was darker
+in colour and more compact than I had remarked the same kind of rock,
+either at Wellington Valley, or in the Shoal Haven Gully. I have no doubt
+that Yass Plains will ere long be wholly taken up as sheep-walks, and that
+their value to the grazier will in a great measure counterbalance its
+distance from the coast, or, more properly speaking, from the capital.
+Sheep I should imagine would thrive uncommonly well upon these plains,
+and would suffer less from distempers incidental to locality and to
+climate, than in many parts of the colony over which they are now
+wandering in thousands. And if the plains themselves do not afford
+extensive arable tracts, there is, at least, sufficient good land near the
+river to supply the wants of a numerous body of settlers.
+
+HOSPITALITY OF MR. O'BRIEN.
+
+We left Mr. O'Brien's station on the morning of the 21st, and, agreeably
+to his advice, determined on gaining the Morumbidgee, by a circuit to the
+N.W., rather than endanger the safety of the drays by entering the
+mountain passes to the westward. Mr. O'Brien, however, would not permit us
+to depart from his dwelling without taking away with us some further
+proofs of his hospitality. The party had pushed forward before I, or
+Mr. M'Leay, had mounted our horses; but on overtaking it, we found that
+eight fine wethers had been added to our stock of animals.
+
+HILL OF POUNI; ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY.
+
+To the W.N.W. of Yass Plains there is a remarkable hill, called Pouni,
+remarkable not so much on account of its height, as of its commanding
+position. It had, I believe, already been ascended by one of the
+Surveyor-general's assistants. The impracticability of the country to the
+south of it, obliged us to pass under its opposite base, from which an
+open forest country extended to the northward. We had already recrossed
+the Yass River, and passed Mr. Barber's station, to that of Mr. Hume's
+father, at which we stopped for a short time. Both farms are well
+situated, the latter I should say, romantically so, it being immediately
+under Pouni, the hill we have noticed. The country around both was open,
+and both pasture and water were abundant.
+
+Mr. O'Brien had been kind enough to send one of the natives who frequented
+his station to escort us to his more advanced station upon the
+Morumbidgee. Had it not been for the assistance we received from this man,
+I should have had but little leisure for other duties: as it was however,
+there was no fear of the party going astray. This gave M'Leay and myself
+an opportunity of ascending Pouni, for the purpose of taking bearings; and
+how ever warm the exertion of the ascent made us, the view from the summit
+of the hill sufficiently repaid us, and the cool breeze that struck it,
+although imperceptible in the forest below, soon dried the perspiration
+from our brows. The scenery around us was certainly varied, yet many
+parts of it put me forcibly in mind of the dark and gloomy tracks over
+which my eye had wandered from similar elevations on the former journey.
+This was especially the case in looking to the north, towards which point
+the hills forming the right of the valley by which we had entered the
+plains, decreased so rapidly in height that they were lost in the general
+equality of the more remote country, almost ere they had reached abreast
+of my position. From E.S.E. to W.S.W. the face of the country was hilly,
+broken and irregular; forming deep ravines and precipitous glens, amid
+which I was well aware the Morumbidgee was still struggling for freedom;
+while mountains succeeded mountains in the back-ground, and were
+themselves overtopped by lofty and very distant peaks. To the eastward,
+however, the hills wore a more regular form, and were lightly covered with
+wood. The plains occupied the space between them and Pouni; and a smaller
+plain bore N.N.E. which, being embosomed in the forest, had hitherto
+escaped our notice.
+
+We overtook the party just as it cleared the open ground through which it
+had previously been moving. A barren scrub succeeded it for about eight
+miles. The soil in this scrub was light and sandy.
+
+We stopped for the night at the head of a valley that seemed to have been
+well trodden by cattle. The feed, therefore, was not abundant, nor was the
+water good. We had, however, made a very fair journey, and I was unwilling
+to press the animals. But in consequence, I fancy, of the scarcity of
+food, they managed to creep away during the night, with the exception of
+three or four of the bullocks, nor should we have collected them again so
+soon as we did, or without infinite trouble, had it not been for our guide
+and my black boy. We unavoidably lost a day, but left our position on the
+23rd, for Underaliga, a station occupied by Doctor Harris, the gentleman I
+have already had occasion to mention. We reached the banks of the creek
+near the stock hut, about 4 p.m., having journeyed during the greater part
+of the day through a poor country, partly of scrub and partly of open
+forest-land, in neither of which was the soil or vegetation fresh or
+abundant. At about three miles from Underaliga, the country entirely
+changed its character, and its flatness was succeeded by a broken and
+undulating surface. The soil upon the hills was coarse and sandy, from the
+decomposition of the granite rock that constituted their base.
+Nevertheless, the grass was abundant on the hills, though the roots or
+tufts were far apart; and the hills were lightly studded with trees.
+
+COURSE OF A HURRICANE.
+
+In the course of the day we crossed the line of a hurricane that had just
+swept with resistless force over the country, preserving a due north
+course, and which we had heard from a distance, fortunately too great to
+admit of its injuring us. It had opened a fearful gap in the forest
+through which it had passed, of about a quarter of a mile in breadth.
+Within that space, no tree had been able to withstand its fury, for it had
+wrenched every bough from such as it had failed to prostrate, and they
+stood naked in the midst of the surrounding wreck. I am inclined to think
+that the rudeness of nature itself in these wild and uninhabited regions,
+gives birth to these terrific phenomena. They have never occurred, so far
+as I know, in the located districts. Our guide deserted us in the early
+part of the day without assigning any reason for doing so. He went off
+without being noticed, and thus lost the reward that would have been
+bestowed on him had he mentioned his wish to return to Yass. I the more
+regretted his having sneaked off, because he had had the kindness to put
+us on a track we could not well lose.
+
+COUNTRY FROM UNDERALIGA TO MORUMBIDGEE.
+
+Underaliga, is said to be thirty miles from the Morumbidgee. The country
+between the two has a sameness of character throughout. It is broken and
+irregular, yet no one hill rises conspicuously over the rest. We found
+ourselves at one time on their summits beside huge masses of granite, at
+others crossing valleys of rich soil and green appearance. A country under
+cultivation is so widely different from one the sod of which has never
+been broken by the plough, that it is difficult and hazardous to form a
+decided opinion on the latter. If you ask a stockman what kind of a
+country lies, either to his right, or to his left, he is sure to condemn
+it, unless it will afford the most abundant pasture. Accustomed to roam
+about from one place to another, these men despise any but the richest
+tracts, and include the rest of the neighbourhood in one sweeping clause
+of condemnation. Thus I was led to expect, that we should pass over a
+country of the very worst description, between Underaliga and the
+Morumbidgee. Had it been similar to that midway between Yass and
+Uuderaliga, we should, in truth, have found it so; but it struck me, that
+there were many rich tracts of ground among the valleys of the former, and
+that the very hills had a fair covering of grass upon them. What though
+the soil was coarse, if the vegetation was good and sufficient? Perhaps
+the greatest drawback to this part of the interior is the want of water;
+yet we crossed several creeks, and remarked some deep water holes, that
+can never be exhausted, even in the driest season. Wherever the situation
+favoured our obtaining a view of the country on either side of us, while
+among these hills, we found that to the eastward lofty and mountainous;
+whilst that to the westward, had the appearance of fast sinking into
+a level.
+
+JUGGIONG.
+
+A short time before we reached the Morumbidgee, we forded a creek, which
+we crossed a second time where it falls into the river. After crossing it
+the first time we opened a flat, on which the marks of sheep were
+abundant. In the distance there was a small hill, and on its top a bark
+hut. We were not until then aware of our being so near the river, but as
+Mr. O'Brien had informed me that he had a station for sheep, at a place
+called Juggiong, by the natives, on the immediate banks of the river, I
+did not doubt that we had, at length, arrived at it. And so it proved. I
+went to the hut, to ascertain where I could conveniently stop for the
+night, but the residents were absent. I could not but admire the position
+they had taken up. The hill upon which their hut was erected was not more
+than fifty feet high, but it immediately overlooked the river, and
+commanded not only the flat we had traversed in approaching it, but also a
+second flat on the opposite side. The Morumbidgee came down to the foot of
+this little hill from the south, and, of course, running to the north,
+which latter direction it suddenly takes up from a previous S.W. one, on
+meeting some hills that check its direct course. From the hill on which
+the hut stands, it runs away westward, almost in a direct line, for three
+miles, so that the position commands a view of both the reaches, which are
+overhung by the casuarina and flooded-gum. Rich alluvial flats lie to the
+right of the stream, backed by moderate hills, that were lightly studded
+with trees, and clothed with verdure to their summits. Some moderate
+elevations also backed a flat, on the left bank of the river, but the
+colour of the soil upon the latter, as well as its depressed situation,
+showed clearly that it was subject to flood, and had received the worst of
+the depositions from the mountains. The hills behind it were also bare,
+and of a light red colour, betraying, as I imagined, a distinct formation
+from, and poorer character than, the hills behind us. At about three miles
+the river again suddenly changes its direction from west to south, for
+about a mile, when it inclines to the S.E. until it nearly encircles the
+opposite hills, when it assumes its proper direction, and flows away to
+the S.W.
+
+CROSS THE UNDERALIGA; REACH THE MORUMBIDGEE.
+
+We crossed the Underaliga creek a little below the stock hut, and encamped
+about a mile beyond it, in the centre of a long plain. We were surrounded
+on every side by hills, from which there was no visible outlet, as they
+appeared to follow the bend of the river, with an even and unbroken
+outline. The scenery around us was wild, romantic, and beautiful; as
+beautiful as a rich and glowing sunset in the most delightful climate
+under the heavens could make it. I had been more anxious to gain the banks
+of the Morumbidgee on this occasion, than I had been on a former one to
+gain those of the Macquarie, for although I could not hope to see the
+Morumbidgee all that it had been described to me, yet I felt that on its
+first appearance I should in some measure ground my anticipations of
+ultimate success. When I arrived on the banks of the Macquarie, it had
+almost ceased to flow, and its current was so gentle as to be scarcely
+perceptible. Instead, however, of a river in such a state of exhaustion,
+I now looked down upon a stream, whose current it would have been
+difficult to breast, and whose waters, foaming among rocks, or circling in
+eddies, gave early promise of a reckless course. It must have been
+somewhat below its ordinary level, and averaged a breadth of about 80
+feet. Its waters were hard and transparent, and its bed was composed of
+mountain debris, and large fragments of rock. As soon as the morning
+dawned, the tents were struck and we pursued our journey. We followed the
+line of the river, until we found ourselves in a deep bight to the S.E.
+The hills that had been gradually closing in upon the river, now
+approached it so nearly, that there was no room for the passage of the
+drays. We were consequently obliged to turn back, and, moving along the
+base of the ranges, by which we were thus apparently enclosed, we at
+length found a steep pass, the extreme narrowness of which had hidden it
+from our observation. By this pass we were now enabled to effect our
+escape. On gaining the summit of the hills, we travelled south for three
+or four miles, through open forests, and on level ground. But we
+ultimately descended into a valley in which we halted for the night. On a
+closer examination of the neighbourhood, it appeared that our position was
+at the immediate junction of two valleys, where, uniting the waters of
+their respective creeks, the main branch declines rapidly towards the
+river. One of these valleys extended to to the S.W., the other to the
+W.N.W. It was evident to us that our route lay up the former; and I made
+no doubt we should easily reach Whaby's station on the morrow.
+
+ADJACENT COUNTRY.
+
+We were now far beyond the acknowledged limits of the located parts of the
+colony, and Mr. Whaby's station was the last at which we could expect even
+the casual supply of milk or other trifling relief. Yet, although the
+prospect of so soon leaving even the outskirts of civilization, and being
+wholly thrown on our own resources, was so near, it never for a moment
+weighed upon the minds of the men. The novelty of the scenery, and the
+beauty of the river on which they were journeying, excited in them the
+liveliest anticipations of success. The facility with which we had
+hitherto pushed forward blinded them to future difficulties, nor could
+there be a more cheerful spectacle than that which the camp daily
+afforded. The animals browzing in the distance, and the men talking over
+their pipes of the probable adventures they might encounter. The loads
+had by this time settled properly, and our provisions proved of the very
+best quality, so that no possible improvement could have been made for the
+better.
+
+WHABY'S STATION.
+
+On the morrow we pushed up the southernmost of the valleys, at the
+junction of which we had encamped, having moderate hills on either side of
+us. At the head of the valley we crossed a small dividing range into
+another valley, and halted for the night, on the banks of a creek from the
+westward, as we found it impossible to reach Whaby's station, as we had
+intended, before sunset. Nothing could exceed the luxuriance of the
+vegetation in this valley, but the water of the creek was so impregnated
+with iron, as to be almost useless. Being anxious to obtain a view of the
+surrounding country, I ascended a hill behind the camp, just as the sun
+was sinking, a time the most favourable for the object I had in view. The
+country, broken into hill and dale, seemed richer than any tract I had as
+yet surveyed; and the beauty of the near landscape was greatly
+heightened by the mountainous scenery to the S. and S.E. Both the
+laxmania, and zanthorea were growing around me; but neither appeared to be
+in congenial soil. The face of the hill was very stony, and I found, on
+examination, that a great change had taken place in the rock-formation,
+the granite ranges having given place to chlorite schist.
+
+We reached Whaby's about 9 a.m. of the morning of the 27th, and received
+every attention and civility from him. The valley in which we had slept
+opened upon an extensive plain, to the eastward of which the Morumbidgee
+formed the extreme boundary; and it was in a bight, and on ground rather
+elevated above the plain, that he had fixed his residence. He informed
+me that we should have to cross the river, as its banks were too
+precipitous, and the ranges too abrupt, to admit of our keeping the right
+side; and recommended me to examine and fix upon a spot at which to cross,
+before I again moved forward, expressing his readiness to accompany me as
+a guide. We accordingly rode down the river, to a place at which some
+stockman had effected a passage,--after a week's labour in hewing out a
+canoe. I by no means intended that a similar delay should occur in our
+case, but I saw no objection to our crossing at the same place; since its
+depth, and consequent tranquillity, rendered it eligible enough for that
+purpose.
+
+THE RIVER DUMOT.
+
+The Dumot river, another mountain stream, joins the Morumbidgee opposite
+to Mr. Whaby's residence. It is little inferior to the latter either in
+size or in the rapidity of its current, and, if I may rely on the
+information I received, waters a finer country, the principal
+rock-formation upon it being of limestone and whinstone. It rises amidst
+the snowy ranges to the S.E., and its banks are better peopled than those
+of the stream into which it discharges itself. Of course, such a tributary
+enlarges the Morumbidgee considerably: indeed, the fact is sufficiently
+evident from the appearance of the latter below the junction.
+
+During our ride with Whaby down its banks, we saw nothing but the richest
+flats, almost entirely clear of timber and containing from 400 to 700
+acres, backed by ranges that were but partially wooded, and were clothed
+with verdure to their very summits. The herds that were scattered over the
+first were almost lost in the height of the vegetation, and the ranges
+served as natural barriers to prevent them from straying away.
+
+CROSS AND RE-CROSS THE MORUMBIDGEE.
+
+On the following morning, we started for the place at which it had been
+arranged that we should cross the Morumbidgee, but, though no more than
+five miles in a direct line from Whaby's house, in consequence of the
+irregularity of the ground, the drays did not reach it before noon. The
+weight and quantity of our stores being taken into consideration, the task
+we had before us was not a light one. Such, however, was the industry of
+the men, that before it became dark the whole of them, including the drays
+and sheep, were safely deposited on the opposite bank. We were enabled to
+be thus expeditious, by means of a punt that we made with the tarpaulins
+on an oblong frame. As soon as it was finished, a rope was conveyed across
+the river, and secured to a tree, and a running cord being then fastened
+to the punt, a temporary ferry was established, and the removal of our
+stores rendered comparatively easy. M'Leay undertook to drive the horses
+and cattle over a ford below us, but he did not calculate on the stubborn
+disposition of the latter, and, consequently, experienced some difficulty,
+and was well nigh swept away by the current. So great was his difficulty,
+that he was obliged to land, to his great discomfiture, amidst a grove of
+lofty nettles. Mulholland, who accompanied him, and who happened to be
+naked, was severly stung by them. The labour of the day was, however,
+satisfactorily concluded, and we lay down to rest with feelings of entire
+satisfaction.
+
+A great part of the following day was consumed in reloading, nor did we
+pursue our journey until after two o'clock. We then passed over tracks on
+the left of the river of the same rich description that existed on its
+right; they were much intersected by creeks, but were clear of timber,
+and entirely out of the reach of floods. At about seven miles from where
+we started, we found ourselves checked by precipitous rocks jutting into
+the stream, and were obliged once more to make preparations for crossing
+it. Instead of a deep and quiet reach, however, the Morumbidgee here
+expanded into a fretful rapid; but it was sufficiently shallow to admit of
+our taking the drays over, without the trouble of unloading them. There
+was still, however, some labour required in cutting down the banks, and
+the men were fully occupied until after sunset; and so well did they work,
+that an hour's exertion in the morning enabled us to make the passage with
+safety. On ascending the right bank, we found that we had to force
+through a dense body of reeds, covering some flooded land, at the base of
+a range terminating upon the river; and we were obliged, in order to
+extricate ourselves from our embarrassments, to pass to the N.W. of the
+point, and to cross a low part of the range. This done, we met with no
+further interruptions during the day, but travelled along rich and clear
+flats to a deep bight below an angle of the river called Nangaar by the
+natives; where we pitched our camp, and our animals revelled amid the most
+luxuriant pasture. Only in one place did the sandy superficies upon the
+plain indicate that it was there subject to flood.
+
+The Morumbidgee from Juggiong to our present encampment had held a general
+S.S.W. course, but from the summit of a hill behind the tents it now
+appeared to be gradually sweeping round to the westward; and I could trace
+the line of trees upon its banks, through a rich and extensive valley in
+that direction, as far as my sight could reach. The country to the S.E.
+maintained its lofty character, but to the westward the hills and ranges
+were evidently decreasing in height, and the distant interior seemed fast
+sinking to a level. The general direction of the ranges had been from N.
+to S., and as we had been travelling parallel to them, their valleys were
+shut from our view. Now, however, several rich and extensive ones became
+visible, opening from the southward into the valley of the Morumbidgee,
+and, as a further evidence of a change of country from a confused to a
+more open one, a plain of considerable size stretched from immediately
+beneath the hill on which I was to the N.W.
+
+GEOLOGY OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD.
+
+The Morumbidgee itself, from the length and regularity of its reaches, as
+well as from its increased size, seemed to intimate that it had
+successfully struggled through the broken country in which it rises, and
+that it would henceforward meet with fewer interruptions to its course. It
+still, however, preserved all the characters of a mountain stream; having
+alternate rapids and deep pools, being in many places encumbered with
+fallen timber, and generally running over a shingly bed, composed of
+rounded fragments of every rock of which the neighbouring ranges were
+formed, and many others that had been swept by the torrents down it. The
+rock formation of the hills upon its right continued of that chlorite
+schist which prevailed near Mr. Whaby's, which I have already noticed, and
+quartz still appeared in large masses, on the loftier ranges opposite, so
+that the geology of the neighbourhood could not be said to have undergone
+any material change. It might, however, be considered an extraordinary
+feature in it, that a small hill of blue limestone existed upon the left
+bank of the river. The last place at which we had seen limestone was at
+Yass, but I had learned from Mr. Whaby, that, together with whinstone, it
+was abundant near a Mr. Rose's station on the Dumot, that was not at any
+great distance. The irregularity, however, of the intervening country,
+made the appearance of this solitary rock more singular.
+
+Although the fires of the natives had been frequent upon the river, none
+had, as yet, ventured to approach us, in consequence of some
+misunderstanding that had taken place between them and Mr. Stuckey's
+stockmen. Mr. Roberts' stockmen [these men had lately fixed themselves
+on the river a little below Mr. Whaby's], however, brought a man and a boy
+to us at this place in the afternoon, but I could not persuade them to
+accompany us on our journey--neither could I, although my native boy
+understood them perfectly, gain any particular information from them.
+
+In consequence of rain, we did not strike the tents so early as usual.
+At 7 a.m. a heavy thunder storm occurred from the N.W. after which the
+sky cleared, and we were enabled to push forward at 11 a.m., moving on a
+general W.N.W, course, over rich flats, which, having been moistened by
+the morning's showers, showed the dark colour of the rich earth of which
+they were composed. Some sand-hills were, however, observed near the
+river, of about fifteen feet in elevation, crowned by banksias; and the
+soil of the flats had a very partial mixture of sand in it. How these
+sand-hills could have been formed it is difficult to say; but they
+produced little minor vegetation, and were as pure as the sand of the
+sea-shore. Some considerable plains were noticed to our right, in
+appearance not inferior to the ground on which we were journeying. At noon
+we rose gradually from the level of these plains, and travelled along the
+side of a hill, until we got to a small creek, at which we stopped, though
+more than a mile and a half from the river. The clouds had been gathering
+again in the N.W. quarter, and we had scarcely time to secure our flour,
+when a second storm burst upon us, and it continued to rain violently for
+the remainder of the day.
+
+BEAUTIFUL PROSPECT.
+
+From a small hill that lay to our left Mr. M'Leay and I enjoyed a most
+beautiful view. Beneath us to the S. E. the rich and lightly timbered
+valley through which the Morumbidgee flows, extended, and parts of the
+river were visible through the dark masses of swamp-oak by which it was
+lined, or glittering among the flooded-gum trees, that grew in its
+vicinity. In the distance was an extensive valley that wound between
+successive mountain ranges. More to the eastward, both mountain and
+woodland bore a dark and gloomy shade, probably in consequence of the
+light upon them at the time. Those lofty peaks that had borne nearly
+south of us from Pouni, near Yass, now rose over the last-mentioned
+ranges, and by their appearance seemed evidently to belong to a high and
+rugged chain. To the westward, the decline of country was more observable
+than ever; and the hills on both sides of the river, were lower and more
+distant from it. Those upon which we found ourselves were composed of
+iron-stone, were precipitous towards the river in many places, of sandy
+soil, and were crowned with beef-wood as well as box. The change in the
+rock-formation and in the soil, produced a corresponding change in the
+vegetation. The timber was not so large as it had been, neither did the
+hills any longer bear the green appearance which had distinguished those
+we had passed to their very summits. The grass here grew in tufts amidst
+the sand, and was of a burnt appearance as if it had suffered from
+drought.
+
+NATIVES--THEIR SUFFERING FROM COLD.
+
+Some natives had joined us in the morning, and acted as our guides; or it
+is more than probable that we should have continued our course along the
+river, and got enbarrassed among impediments that were visible from our
+elevated position; for it was evident that the range we had ascended
+terminated in an abrupt precipice on the river, that we could not have
+passed. The blacks suffered beyond what I could have imagined, from cold,
+and seemed as incapable of enduring it as if they had experienced the
+rigour of a northern snow storm.
+
+The morning of the 2nd December was cloudy and lowering, and the wind
+still hung in the N.W. There was truly every appearance of bad weather,
+but our anxiety to proceed on our journey overcame our apprehensions,
+and the animals were loaded and moved off at 7 a.m. The rain which had
+fallen the evening previous, rendered travelling heavy; so that we got on
+but slowly. At 11, the clouds burst, and continued to pour down for the
+rest of the day. On leaving the creek we crossed the spine of the range,
+and descending from it into a valley, that continued to the river on the
+one hand, and stretched away to the N.W. on the other, we ascended some
+hills opposite to us, and moved generally through open, undulating forest
+ground, affording good pasturage.
+
+SMOKING AN OPOSSUM.
+
+One of the blacks being anxious to get an opossum out of a dead tree,
+every branch of which was hollow, asked for a tomahawk, with which be cut
+a hole in the trunk above where he thought the animal lay concealed. He
+found however, that he had cut too low, and that it had run higher up.
+This made it necessary to smoke it out; he accordingly got some dry grass,
+and having kindled a fire, stuffed it into the hole he had cut. A raging
+fire soon kindled in the tree, where the draft was great, and dense
+columns of smoke issued from the end of each branch as thick as that from
+the chimney of a steam engine. The shell of the tree was so thin that I
+thought it would soon be burnt through, and that the tree would fall; but
+the black had no such fears, and, ascending to the highest branch, he
+watched anxiously for the poor little wretch he had thus surrounded with
+dangers and devoted to destruction; and no sooner did it appear, half
+singed and half roasted, than he seized upon it and threw it down to
+us with an air of triumph. The effect of the scene in so lonely a forest,
+was very fine. The roaring of the fire in the tree, the fearless attitude
+of the savage, and the associations which his colour and appearance,
+enveloped as he was in smoke, called up, were singular, and still dwell
+on my recollection. We had not long left the tree, when it fell with a
+tremendous crash, and was, when we next passed that way, a mere heap of
+ashes.
+
+ACCIDENTS.
+
+Shortly before it commenced raining, the dogs started an emu, and took
+after it, followed by M'Leay and myself. We failed in killing it, and I
+was unfortunate enough to lose a most excellent watch upon the occasion,
+which in regularity was superior to the chronometer I had with me.
+
+As there was no hope of the weather clearing up, I sent M'Leay and one of
+the blacks with the flour to the river, with directions to pile it up and
+cover it with tarpaulins, as soon as possible, remaining myself to bring
+up the drays. It was not, however, until after 4 p.m. that we gained the
+river-side, or that we were enabled to get into shelter. Fraser met with a
+sad accident while assisting the driver of the teams, who, accidentally,
+struck him with the end of the lash of his whip in the eye, and cut the
+lower lid in two. The poor fellow fell to the ground as if he had been
+shot, and really, from the report of the whip, I was at first uncertain
+of the nature of the accident.
+
+PONDEBADGERY.
+
+We had gradually ascended some hills; and as the sweep of the valley led
+southerly, we continued along it until we got to its very head; then,
+crossing the ridge we descended the opposite side, towards a beautiful
+plain, on the further extremity of which the river line was marked by the
+dark-leafed casuarina. In spite of the badness of the weather and the
+misfortunes of the day, I could not but admire the beauty of the scene.
+We were obliged to remain stationary the following day, in consequence
+of one of the drays being out of repair, and requiring a new axle-tree.
+I could hardly regret the necessity that kept us in so delightful a spot.
+This plain, which the natives called Pondebadgery, and in which a station
+has since been formed, is about two miles in breadth, by about three and
+a-half in length. It is surrounded apparently on every side by hills. The
+river running E. and W. forms its southern boundary. The hills by which we
+had entered it, terminating abruptly on the river to the north-east, form
+a semi-circle round it to the N.N.W. where a valley, the end of which
+cannot be seen, runs to the north-west, of about half a mile in breadth.
+On the opposite side of the river moderate hills rise over each other, and
+leave little space between them and its banks. The Morumbidgee itself,
+with an increased breadth, averaging from seventy to eighty yards,
+presents a still, deep sheet of water to the view, over which the
+casuarina bends with all the grace of the willow, or the birch, but with
+more sombre foliage. To the west, a high line of flooded-gum trees
+extending from the river to the base of the hills which form the west side
+of the valley before noticed, hides the near elevations, and thus shuts in
+the whole space. The soil of the plain is of the richest description, and
+the hills backing it, together with the valley, are capable of depasturing
+the most extensive flocks.
+
+Such is the general landscape from the centre of Pondebadgery Plain.
+Behind the line of gum-trees, the river suddenly sweeps away to the south,
+and forms a deep bight of seven miles, when, bearing up again to the N.W.
+it meets some hills about 10 miles to the W.N.W. of the plain, thus
+encircling a still more extensive space, that for richness of soil, and
+for abundance of pasture, can nowhere be excelled; such, though on a
+smaller scale, are all the flats that adorn the banks of the Morumbidgee,
+first on one side and then on the other, as the hills close in upon them,
+from Juggiong to Pondebadgery.
+
+TRAVELLING DOWN THE RIVER.
+
+It is deeply to be regretted that this noble river should exist at such a
+distance from the capital as to be unavailable. During our stay on the
+Pondebadgery Plain, the men caught a number of codfish, as they are
+generally termed, but which are, in reality, a species of perch. The
+largest weighed 401b. but the majority of the others were small, not
+exceeding from six to eight. M'Leay and I walked to the N.W. extremity of
+the plain, in order to ascertain how we should debouche from it, and to
+get, if possible, a view of the western interior. We took with us two
+blacks who had attached themselves to the party, and had made themselves
+generally useful. On ascending the most westerly of the hills, we found it
+composed of micaceous schist, the upper coat of which was extremely soft,
+and broke with a slaty fracture, or crumbled into a sparkling dust beneath
+our feet. The summit of the hill was barren, and beef-wood alone grew on
+it. The valley, of which it was the western boundary, ran up northerly for
+two or three miles, with all the appearance of richness and verdure. To
+the south extended the flat I have noticed, more heavily timbered than we
+had usually found them, bounded, or backed rather, by a hilly country,
+although one fast losing in its general height. To the W.N.W. there was a
+moderate range of hills on the opposite side of an extensive valley,
+running up northerly, from which a lateral branch swept round to the
+W.N.W. with a gradual ascent into the hills, which bore the same
+appearance of open forest, grazing land, as prevailed in similar tracts to
+the eastward. The blacks pointed out to us our route up the valley, and
+stated that we should get on the banks of the river again in a direction
+W. by N. from the place on which we stood. We accordingly crossed the
+principal valley on the following morning, and gradually ascended the
+opposite line of hills. They terminate to the S.E. in lofty precipices,
+overlooking the river flats, and having a deep chain of ponds under them.
+The descent towards the river was abrupt, and we encamped upon its banks,
+with a more confined view than any we had ever had before. There was an
+evident change in the river; the banks were reedy, the channel deep and
+muddy, and the neighbourhood bore more the appearance of being subject to
+overflow than it had done in any one place we had passed over. The hills
+were much lower, and as we gained the southern brow of that under which we
+encamped, we could see a level and wooded country to the westward. The
+line of the horizon was unbroken by any hills in the distance, and the
+nearer ones seemed gradually to lose themselves in the darkness of the
+landscape.
+
+The two natives, whom the stockmen had named Peter and Jemmie, were of
+infinite service to us, from their knowledge of all the passes, and the
+general features of the country. Having, however, seen us thus far on the
+journey from their usual haunts, they became anxious to return, and it was
+with some difficulty we persuaded them to accompany us for a few days
+longer, in hopes of reward. The weather had been cool and pleasant; the
+thermometer averaging 78 of Fahrenheit at noon, in consequences of which
+the animals kept in good condition, the men healthy and zealous. The sheep
+Mr. O'Brien had presented to us, gave no additional trouble; they followed
+in the rear of the party without attempting to wander, and were secured at
+night in a small pen or fold. No waste attended their slaughter, nor did
+they lose in condition, from being driven from ten to fifteen miles daily,
+so much as I had been led to suppose they would have done.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+
+
+Character of the Morumbidgee where it issues from the hilly country--
+Appearance of approach to swamps--Hamilton Plains--Intercourse with the
+natives--Their appearance, customs, &c.--Change in the character of the
+river--Mirage--Dreariness of the country--Ride towards the Lachlan river
+--Two boats built and launched on the Morumbidgee; and the drays, with
+part of the men sent back to Goulburn Plains.
+
+NATIVES--WILD GAME,&c.; CHARACTER OF THE RIVER AND THE ADJOINING COUNTRY.
+
+From our camp, the Morumbidgee held a direct westerly course for about
+three miles. The hills under which we had encamped, rose so close upon our
+right as to leave little space between them and the river. At the distance
+of three miles, however, they suddenly terminated, and the river changed
+its direction to the S.W., while a chain of ponds extended to the
+westward, and separated the alluvial flats from a somewhat more elevated
+plain before us. We kept these ponds upon our left for some time, but, as
+they ultimately followed the bend of the river, we left them. The blacks
+led us on a W. by S. course to the base of a small range two or three
+miles distant, near which there was a deep lagoon. It was evident they
+here expected to have found some other natives. Being disappointed,
+however, they turned in towards the river again, but we stopped short of
+it on the side of a serpentine sheet of water, an apparent continuation of
+the chain of ponds we had left behind us, forming a kind of ditch round
+the S.W. extremity of the range, parallel to which we had continued to
+travel. This range, which had been gradually decreasing in height from the
+lagoon, above which it rose perpendicularly, might almost be said to
+terminate here. We fell in with two or three natives before we halted, but
+the evident want of population in so fine a country, and on so noble a
+river, surprised me extremely. We saw several red kangaroos in the course
+of the day, and succeeded in killing one. It certainly is a beautiful
+animal, ranging the wilds in native freedom. The female and the kid are of
+a light mouse-colour. Wild turkeys abound on this part of the Morumbidgee,
+but with the exception of a few terns, which are found hovering over the
+lagoons, no new birds had as yet been procured; and the only plant that
+enriched our collection, was an unknown metrosideros. In crossing the
+extremity of the range, the wheels of the dray sunk deep into a yielding
+and coarse sandy soil, of decomposed granite, on which forest-grass
+prevailed in tufts, which, being far apart, made the ground uneven, and
+caused the animals to trip. We rose at one time sufficiently high to
+obtain an extensive view, and had our opinions confirmed as to the level
+nature of the country we were so rapidly approaching. From the N. to
+the W.S.W. the eye wandered over a wooded and unbroken interior, if I
+except a solitary double hill that rose in the midst of it, bearing
+S. 82 degrees W. distant 12 miles, and another singular elevation that
+bore S. 32 degrees W. called by the natives, Kengal. The appearance to the
+E.S.E. was still that of a mountainous country, while from the N.E., the
+hills gradually decrease in height, until lost in the darkness of
+surrounding objects to the northward. We did not travel this day more than
+13 miles on a W. by N. course. The Morumbidgee, where we struck it, by its
+increased size, kept alive our anticipations of its ultimately leading us
+to some important point. The partial rains that had fallen while we were
+on its upper branch, had swollen it considerably, and it now rolled along
+a vast body of water at the rate of three miles an hour, preserving a
+medium width of 150 feet; its banks retaining a height far above the usual
+level of the stream. A traveller who had never before descended into the
+interior of New Holland, would have spurned the idea of such a river
+terminating in marshes; but with the experience of the former journey,
+strong as hope was within my breast, I still feared it might lose itself
+in the vast flat upon which we could scarcely be said to have yet entered.
+The country was indeed taking up more and more every day the features of
+the N.W. interior. Cypresses were observed upon the minor ridges, and the
+soil near the river, although still rich, and certainly more extensive
+than above, was occasionally mixed with sand, and scattered over with the
+claws of crayfish and shells, indicating its greater liability to be
+flooded; nor indeed could I entertain a doubt that the river had laid a
+great part of the levels around us under water long after it found that
+channel in which nature intended ultimately to confine it. We killed
+another fine red kangaroo in the early part of the day, in galloping after
+which I got a heavy fall.
+
+The two blacks who had been with us so long, and who had not only exerted
+themselves to assist us, but had contributed in no small degree to our
+amusement, though they had from M'Leay's liberality, tasted all the
+dainties with which we had provided ourselves, from sugar to concentrated
+cayenne, intimated that they could no longer accompany the party. They had
+probably got to the extremity of their beat, and dared not venture any
+further. They left us with evident regret, receiving, on their departure,
+several valuable presents, in the shape of tomahawks &c. The last thing
+they did was to point out the way to us, and to promise to join us on our
+return, although they evidently little anticipated ever seeing us again.
+
+In pursuing our journey, we entered a forest, consisting of box-trees,
+casuarinae, and cypresses, on a light sandy soil, in which both horses and
+bullocks sunk so deep that their labour was greatly increased, more
+especially as the weather had become much warmer. At noon I altered my
+course from N.W. by W. to W.N.W., and reached the Morumbidgee at 3 in the
+afternoon. The flats bordering it were extensive and rich, and, being
+partially mixed with sand, were more fitted for agricultural purposes than
+the stiffer and purer soil amidst the mountains; but the interior beyond
+them was far from being of corresponding quality. We crossed several
+plains on which vegetation was scanty, probably owing to the hardness of
+the soil, which was a stiff loamy clay, and which must check the growth of
+plants, by preventing the roots from striking freely into it. The river
+where we stopped for the night appeared to have risen considerably, and
+the fish were rolling about on the surface of the water with a noise like
+porpoises. No elevations were visible, so that I had not an opportunity of
+continuing the chain of survey with the points I had previously taken.
+
+TRAVELLING DOWN THE RIVER.
+
+As we proceeded down the river on the 8th, the flats became still more
+extensive than they had ever been, and might almost be denominated plains.
+Vegetation was scanty upon them, although the soil was of the first
+quality. About nine miles from our camp, we struck on a small isolated
+hill, that could scarcely have been of 200 feet elevation; yet, depressed
+as it was, the view from its summit was very extensive, and I was
+surprised to find that we were still in some measure surrounded by high
+lands, of which I took the following bearings, connected with the present
+ones.
+
+A High Peak.....N. 66 E. distance 40 miles.
+Kengal ........ N. 110 E. distant.
+Double Hill ... S. 10 W. distant.
+
+To the north, there were several fires burning, which appeared rather the
+fires of natives, than conflagrations, and as the river had made a bend to
+the N.N.W., I doubted not that they were upon its banks. From this hill,
+which was of compact granite, we struck away to the W.N.W., and shortly
+afterwards crossed some remarkable sand-hills. Figuratively speaking, they
+appeared like islands amidst the alluvial deposits, and were as pure in
+their composition as the sand on the sea-shore. They were generally
+covered with forest grass, in tufts, and a coarse kind of rushes, under
+banksias and cypresses. We found a small fire on the banks of the river,
+and close to it the couch and hut of a solitary native, who had probably
+seen us approach, and had fled. There cannot be many inhabitants
+hereabouts, since there are no paths to indicate that they frequent this
+part of the Morumbidgee more at one season than another.
+
+On the 9th, the river fell off again to the westward, and we lost a good
+deal of the northing we had made the day before. We journeyed pretty
+nearly equidistant from the stream, and kept altogether on the alluvial
+flats. As we were wandering along the banks of the river, a black started
+up before us, and swam across to the opposite side, where he immediately
+hid himself. We could by no means induce him to show himself; he was
+probably the lonely being whom we had scared away from the fire the day
+before. In the afternoon, however we surprised a family of six natives,
+and persuaded them to follow us to our halting place. My boy understood
+them well; but the young savage had the cunning to hide the information
+they gave him, or, for aught I know, to ask questions that best suited his
+own purposes, and therefore we gained little intelligence from them.
+
+Every day now produced some change in the face of the country, by which it
+became more and more assimilated to that I had traversed during the first
+expedition. Acacia pendula now made its appearance on several plains
+beyond the river deposits, as well as that salsolaceous class of plants,
+among which the schlerolina and rhagodia are so remarkable. The natives
+left us at sunset, but returned early in the morning with an extremely
+facetious and good-humoured old man, who volunteered to act as our guide
+without the least hesitation. There was a cheerfulness in his manner,
+that gained our confidence at once, and rendered him a general favourite.
+He went in front with the dogs, and led us a little away from the river
+to kill kangaroos, as he said. At about two miles we struck on an
+inconsiderable elevation, which the party crossed at the S.W. extremity.
+I ascended it at the opposite end, but although the view was extensive, I
+could not make out the little hill of granite from which I had taken my
+former bearings, and the only elevation I could recognise as connected
+with them, was one about ten miles distant, bearing S. 168 W. I could
+observe very distant ranges to the E.N.E. and immediately below me in that
+direction, there was a large clear plain, skirted by acacia pendula,
+stretching from S.S.E. to N.N.W. The crown and ridges of the hill on which
+I stood, were barren, stony, and covered with beef-wood,
+the rock-formation being a coarse granite. The drays had got so far ahead
+of me that I did not overtake them before they had halted on the river at
+a distance of ten miles.
+
+INFORMATION FROM A NATIVE.
+
+The Morumbidgee appeared, on examination, to have increased in breadth,
+and continued to rise gradually. It is certainly a noble stream, very
+different from those I had already traced to their termination. The old
+black informed me that there was another large river flowing to the
+southward of west, to which the Morumbidgee was as a creek, and that we
+could gain it in four days. He stated that its waters were good, but that
+its banks were not peopled. That such a feature existed where he laid it
+down, I thought extremely probable, because it was only natural to expect
+that other streams descended from the mountains in the S.E. of the island,
+as well as that on which we were travelling. The question was, whether
+either of them held on an uninterrupted course to some reservoir, or
+whether they fell short of the coast and exhausted themselves in marshes.
+Considering the concave direction of the mountains to the S.E., I even
+at this time hoped that the rivers falling into the interior would unite
+sooner or later, and contribute to the formation of an important and
+navigable stream. Of the fate of the Morumbidgee, the old black could give
+no account. It seemed probable, therefore, that we were far from its
+termination.
+
+I had hitherto been rather severe upon the animals, for although our
+journey had not exceeded from twelve to fifteen miles a day, it had been
+without intermission. I determined, therefore, to give both men and
+animals a day of rest, as soon as I should find a convenient place. We
+started on the 11th with this intention, but we managed to creep over
+eight or ten miles of ground before we halted. The country was slightly
+undulated, and much intersected by creeks, few of which had water in them.
+The whole tract was, however, well adapted either for agriculture, or
+for grazing, and, in spite of the drought that had evidently long hung
+over it, was well covered with vegetation. We had passed all high lands,
+and the interior to the westward presented an unbroken level to the eye.
+The Morumbidgee appeared to hold a more northerly course than I had
+anticipated. Still low ranges continued upon our right, and the cypress
+ridges became more frequent and denser; but the timber on the more open
+grounds generally consisted of box and flooded-gum. Of minor trees, the
+acacia pendula was the most prevalent, with a shrub bearing a round nut,
+enclosed in a scarlet capsule, and an interesting species of stenochylus.
+I had observed as yet, few of the plants of the more northern interior.
+
+NATIVES--THEIR UGLINESS.
+
+In this neighbourhood, the dogs killed an emu and a kangaroo, which came
+in very conveniently for some natives whom we fell in with on one of the
+river flats. They were, without exception, the worst featured of any I had
+ever seen. It is scarcely possible to conceive that human beings could
+be so hideous and loathsome. The old black, who was rather good-looking,
+told me they were the last we should see for some time, and I felt that if
+these were samples of the natives on the lowlands, I cared very little how
+few of I them we should meet.
+
+EXTENSIVE PLAINS.
+
+The country on the opposite side of the river had all the features of that
+to the north of it, but a plain of such extent suddenly opened upon us to
+the southward, that I halted at once in order to examine it, and by
+availing myself of a day of rest, to fix our position more truly than we
+could otherwise have done. We accordingly pitched our tents under some
+lofty gum-trees, opposite to the plain, and close upon the edge of the
+sandy beach of the river. Before they were turned out, the animals were
+carefully examined, and the pack-saddles overhauled, that they might
+undergo any necessary repairs. The river fell considerably during the
+night, but it poured along a vast body of water, possessing a strong
+current. The only change I remarked in it was that it now had a bed of
+sand, and was generally deeper on one side than on the other. It kept a
+very uniform breadth of from 150 to 170 feet--and a depth of from 4 to 20.
+Its channel, though occasionally much encumbered with fallen timber, was
+large enough to contain twice the volume of water then in it, but it had
+outer and more distant banks, the boundaries of the alluvial flats, to
+confine it within certain limits, during the most violent floods, and to
+prevent its inundating the country.
+
+HAMILTON'S PLAINS.
+
+With a view to examine the plain opposite to us, I directed our horses to
+be taken across the river early in the morning, and after breakfast,
+M'Leay and I swam across after them. We found the current strong, and
+could not keep a direct line over the channel, but were carried below the
+place at which we plunged in. We proceeded afterwards in a direction
+W.S.W. across the plain for five or six miles, before we saw trees on the
+opposite extremity, at a still greater distance. We thus found ourselves
+in the centre of an area of from 26 to 30 miles. It appeared to be
+perfectly level, though not really so. The soil upon it was good,
+excepting in isolated spots, where it was sandy. Vegetation was scanty
+upon it, but, on the whole, I should conclude that it was fitter for
+agriculture than for grazing. For I think it very probable, that those
+lands which lie hardening and bare in a state of nature, would produce
+abundantly if broken up by the plough. I called this Hamilton's plains,
+in remembrance of the surgeon of my regiment. The Morumbidgee forms its
+N.E. boundary, and a creek rising on it, cuts off a third part on the
+western side, and runs away from the river in a southerly direction. This
+creek, even before it gets to the outskirts of the plains, assumes a
+considerable size. Such a fact would argue that heavy rains fall in this
+part of the interior, to cut out such a watercourse, or that the soil is
+extremely loose; but I should think the former the most probable, since
+the soil of this plain had a substratum of clay. I place our encampment on
+the river in latitude 34 degrees 41 minutes 45 seconds S., and in East
+longitude 146 degrees 50 minutes, the variation of the compass being
+6 degrees 10 minutes E.
+
+INTERCOURSE WITH THE NATIVES; SCANTINESS OF THE POPULATION.
+
+On our return to the camp we found several natives with our people, and
+among them one of the tallest I had ever seen. Their women were with them,
+and they appeared to have lost all apprehension of any danger occurring
+from us. The animals were benefited greatly by this day of rest. We left
+the plain, therefore, on the 13th with renewed spirits, and passed over a
+country very similar to that by which we had approached it, one well
+adapted for grazing, but intersected by numerous creeks, at two of which
+we found natives, some of whom joined our party. Our old friend left us in
+quest of some blacks, who, as he informed Hopkinson, had seen the tracks
+of our horses on the Darling. I was truly puzzled at such a statement,
+which was, however, further corroborated by the circumstance of one of the
+natives having a tire-nail affixed to a spear, which he said was picked
+up, by the man who gave it to him, on one of our encampments. I could not
+think it likely that this story was true, and rather imagined they must
+have picked up the nail near the located districts, and I was anxious to
+have the point cleared up. When we halted we had a large assemblage of
+natives with us, amounting in all to twenty-seven, but I awaited in vain
+the return of the old man. The night passed away without our seeing him,
+nor did he again join us.
+
+We started in the morning with our new acquaintances, and kept on a
+south-westerly course during the day, over an excellent grazing, and, in
+many places, an agricultural country, still intersected by creeks, that
+were too deep for the water to have dried in them. The country more
+remote from the river, however, began to assume more and more the
+character and appearance of the northern interior. I rode into several
+plains, the soil of which was either a red sandy loam, bare of vegetation,
+or a rotten and blistered earth, producing nothing but rhagodiae,
+salsolae, and misembrianthemum.
+
+We fell in with another tribe of blacks during the journey, to whom we
+were literally consigned by those who had been previously with us, and who
+now turned back, while our new friends took the lead of the drays. They
+were two fine young men, but had very ugly wives, and were for a long time
+extremely diffident. I found that I could obtain but little information
+through my black boy,--whether from his not understanding me, or because
+he was too cunning, is uncertain. One of these young men, however,
+clearly stated that he had seen the tracks of bullocks and horses, a long
+time ago, to the N.N.W. in the direction of some detached hills, that were
+visible from 20 to 25 miles distant. He remembered them, he said, as a
+boy, and added that the white men were without water. It was, therefore,
+clear that he alluded to Mr. Oxley's excursion, northerly from the
+Lachlan, and I had no doubt on my mind, that he had been on one of that
+officer's encampments, and that the hills to the north of us were those
+to the opposite base of which he had penetrated. I was determined,
+therefore, if practicable, to reach these hills, deeming it a matter of
+great importance to connect the surveys, but I deferred my journey for a
+day or two, in hopes, from the continued northerly course of the river,
+that we should have approached them nearer.
+
+In the evening we fell in with some more blacks, among whom were two
+brothers, of those who were acting as our guides. One had a very pretty
+girl as a wife, and all the four brothers were very good-looking young
+men. There cannot, I should think, be a numerous population on the banks
+of the Morumbidgee, from the fact of our having seen not more than fifty
+in an extent of more than 180 miles. They are apparently scattered along
+it in families. I was rather surprised that my boy understood their
+language well, since it certainly differed from that of the Macquarie
+tribes, but nevertheless as these people do not wander far, our
+information as to what was before us was very gradually arrived at, and
+only as we fell in with the successive families. Moreover, as my boy
+was very young, it may be that he was more eager in communicating to those
+who had no idea of them, the wonders he had seen, than in making inquiries
+on points that were indifferent to him.
+
+CHARACTER OF THE COUNTRY.
+
+We passed a very large plain in the course of the day, which was bounded
+by forests of box, cypress, and the acacia pendula, of red sandy soil and
+parched appearance. The Morumbidgee evidently overflows a part of the
+lands we crossed, to a greater extent than heretofore, though the alluvial
+deposits beyond its influence were still both rich and extensive. The
+crested pigeon made its appearance on the acacias, which I took to be a
+sure sign of our approach to a country more than ordinarily subject to
+overflow; since on the Macquarie and the Darling, those birds were found
+only to inhabit the regions of marshes, or spaces covered by the acacia
+pendula, or the polygonum. We had not, however, yet seen any of the latter
+plant, although we were shortly destined to be almost lost amidst fields
+of it.
+
+CHANGE IN THE COUNTRY.
+
+
+We were now approaching that parallel of longitude in which the other
+known rivers of New Holland had been found to exhaust themselves; the
+least change therefore, for the worse was sufficient to raise my
+apprehensions; yet, although the Morumbidgee had received no tributary
+from the Dumot downwards, and was leading us into an apparently endless
+level, I saw no indication of its decreasing in size, or in the rapidity
+of its current. Certainly, however, I had, from the character of the
+country around us, an anticipation that a change was about to take place
+in it, and this anticipation was verified in the course of the following
+day. The alluvial flats gradually decreased in breadth, and we journeyed
+mostly over extensive and barren plains, which in many places approached
+so near the river as to form a part of its bank. They were covered with
+the salsolaceous class of plants, so common in the interior, in a red
+sandy soil, and were as even as a bowling green. The alluvial spaces near
+the river became covered with reeds, and, though subject to overflow at
+every partial rise of it, were so extremely small as scarcely to afford
+food for our cattle. Flooded-gum trees of lofty size grew on these reedy
+spaces, and marked the line of the river, but the timber of the interior
+appeared stunted and useless.
+
+DESCRIPTION OF THE NATIVES; MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE NATIVES.
+
+We found this part of the Morumbidgee much more populous than its upper
+branches. When we halted, we had no fewer than forty-one natives with us,
+of whom the young men were the least numerous. They allowed us to choose
+a place for ourselves before they formed their own camp, and studiously
+avoided encroaching on our ground so as to appear troublesome. Their
+manners were those of a quiet and inoffensive people, and their appearance
+in some measure prepossessing. The old men had lofty foreheads, and stood
+exceedingly erect. The young men were cleaner is their persons and were
+better featured than any we had seen, some of them having smooth hair and
+an almost Asiatic cast of countenance. On the other hand, the women and
+children were disgusting objects. The latter were much subject to
+diseases, and were dreadfully emaciated. It is evident that numbers of
+them die in their infancy for want of care and nourishment. We remarked
+none at the age of incipient puberty, but the most of them under six. In
+stating that the men were more prepossessing than any we had seen, I would
+not be understood to mean that they differed in any material point either
+from the natives of the coast, or of the most distant interior to which I
+had been, for they were decidedly the same race, and had the same leading
+features and customs, as far as the latter could be observed. The sunken
+eye and overhanging eyebrow, the high cheek-bone and thick lip, distended
+nostrils, the nose either short or acquiline, together with a stout bust
+and slender extremities, and both curled and smooth hair, marked the
+natives of the Morumbidgee as well as those of the Darling. They were
+evidently sprung from one common stock, the savage and scattered
+inhabitants of a rude and inhospitable land. In customs they differed in
+no material point from the coast natives, and still less from the tribes
+on the Darling and the Castlereagh. They extract the front tooth,
+lacerate their bodies, to raise the flesh, cicatrices being their chief
+ornament; procure food by the same means, paint in the same manner, and
+use the same weapons, as far as the productions of the country will allow
+them. But as the grass-tree is not found westward of the mountains, they
+make a light spear of a reed, similar to that of which the natives of the
+southern islands form their arrows. These they use for distant combat, and
+not only carry in numbers, but throw with the boomerang to a great
+distance and with unerring precision, making them to all intents and
+purposes as efficient as the bow and arrow. They have a ponderous spear
+for close fight, and others of different sizes for the chase. With regard
+to their laws, I believe they are universally the same all over the known
+parts of New South Wales. The old men have alone the privilege of eating
+the emu; and so submissive are the young men to this regulation, that if,
+from absolute hunger or under other pressing circumstances, one of them
+breaks through it, either during a hunting excursion, or whilst absent
+from his tribe, he returns under a feeling of conscious guilt, and by his
+manner betrays his guilt, sitting apart from the men, and confessing his
+misdemeanour to the chief at the first interrogation, upon which he is
+obliged to undergo a slight punishment. This evidently is a law of policy
+and necessity, for if the emus were allowed to be indiscriminately
+slaughtered, they would soon become extinct. Civilised nations may learn a
+wholesome lesson even from savages, as in this instance of their
+forebearance. For somewhat similar reasons, perhaps, married people alone
+are here permitted to eat ducks. They hold their corrobories,
+(midnight ceremonies), and sing the same melancholy ditty that breaks the
+stillness of night on the shores of Jervis' Bay, or on the banks of the
+Macquarie; and during the ceremony imitate the several birds and beasts
+with which they are acquainted. If these inland tribes differ in anything
+from those on the coast, it is in the mode of burying their dead, and,
+partially, in their language. Like all savages, they consider their women
+as secondary objects, oblige them to procure their own food, or throw to
+them over their shoulders the bones they have already picked, with a
+nonchalance that is extremely amusing; and, on the march, make them beasts
+of burden to carry their very weapons. The population of the Morumbidgee,
+as far as we had descended it at this time, did not exceed from ninety to
+a hundred souls. I am persuaded that disease and accidents consign many of
+them to a premature grave.
+
+MIRAGE.
+
+From this camp, one family only accompanied us. We journeyed due west over
+plains of great extent. The soil upon them was soft and yielding, in some
+places being a kind of light earth covered with rhagodiae, in others a
+red tenacious clay, overrun by the misembrianthemum and salsolae.
+Nothing could exceed the apparent barrenness of these plains, or the
+cheerlessness of the landscape. We had left all high lands behind us, and
+were now on an extensive plain, bounded in the distance by low trees or by
+dark lines of cypresses. The lofty gum-trees on the river followed its
+windings, and, as we opened the points, they appeared, from the peculiar
+effect of a mirage, as bold promontories jutting into the ocean, having
+literally the blue tint of distance. This mirage floated in a light
+tremulous vapour on the ground, and not only deceived us with regard to
+the extent of the plains, and the appearance of objects, but hid the
+trees, in fact, from our view altogether; so that, in moving, as we
+imagined, upon the very point or angle of the river, we found as we neared
+it, that the trees stretched much further into the plain, and were obliged
+to alter our course to round them. The heated state of the atmosphere, and
+the sandy nature of the country could alone have caused a mirage so
+striking in its effects, as this,--exceeding considerably similar
+appearances noticed during the first expedition. The travelling was so
+heavy, that I was obliged to make a short day's journey, and when we
+struck the river for the purpose of halting, it had fallen off very much
+in appearance, and was evidently much contracted, with low banks and a
+sandy bed. It was difficult to account for this sudden change, but when
+I gazed on the extent of level country before me, I began to dread that
+this hitherto beautiful stream would ultimately disappoint us.
+
+EXCURSION TOWARDS A RIDGE OF HILLS.
+
+I had deferred my intended excursion to the hills under which I imagined
+Mr. Oxley had encamped, until we were out of sight of them, and I now
+feared that it was almost too late to undertake it, but I was still
+anxious to determine a point in which I felt considerable interest. I was
+the more desirous of surveying the country to the northward, because of
+the apparent eagerness with which the natives had caught at the word
+Colare, which I recollected having heard a black on the Macquarie make
+use of in speaking of the Lachlan. They pointed to the N.N.W., and making
+a sweep with the arm raised towards the sky, seemed to intimate that a
+large sheet of water existed in that direction; and added that it
+communicated with the Morumbidgee more to the westward. This information
+confirmed still more my impressions with regard to Mr. Oxley's line of
+route; and, as I found a ready volunteer in M'Leay, I gave the party in
+charge to Harris until I should rejoin him, and turned back towards the
+hills, with the intention of reaching them if possible. No doubt we should
+have done so had it not been for the nature of the ground over which we
+travelled, and the impossibility of our exceeding a walk. We rode to a
+distance of 18 miles, but still found ourselves far short of the hills,
+and therefore gave up the point. I considered, however, that we were about
+the same distance to the south, as Mr. Oxley had been to the north of
+them, and in taking bearings of the highest points, I afterwards found
+that they exactly tallied with his bearings, supposing him to have taken
+them from his camp.
+
+QUIET DEMEANOUR OF THE NATIVES.
+
+On our way to the river, we Passed through some dense bushes of casuarinae
+and cypresses, to the outskirts of the plains through which the
+Morumbidgee winds. We reached the camp two or three hours after sunset,
+and found it crowded with natives to the number of 60. They were extremely
+quiet and inoffensive in their demeanour, and asked us to point out where
+they might sleep, before they ventured to kindle their fires. One old man,
+we remarked, had a club foot, and another was blind, but, as far as we
+could judge from the glare of the fires, the generality of them were fine
+young men, and supported themselves in a very erect posture when standing
+or walking. There were many children with the women, among whom colds
+seemed to prevail. It blew heavily from the N.W. during the night, and a
+little rain fell in the early part of the morning. Our route during the
+day, was over as melancholy a tract as ever was travelled. The plains to
+the N. and N.W. bounded the horizon; not a tree of any kind was visible
+upon them. It was equally open to the S., and it appeared as if the river
+was decoying us into a desert, there to leave us in difficulty and in
+distress. The very mirage had the effect of boundlessness in it, by
+blending objects in one general hue; or, playing on the ground, it cheated
+us with an appearance of water, and on arriving at the spot, we found a
+continuation of the same scorching plain, over which we were moving,
+instead of the stream we had hoped for.
+
+The cattle about this time began to suffer, and, anxious as I was to push
+on, I was obliged to shorten my journeys, according to circumstances.
+Amidst the desolation around us, the river kept alive our hopes. If it
+traversed deserts, it might reach fertile lands, and it was to the issue
+of the journey that we had to look for success. It here, however,
+evidently overflowed its banks more extensively than heretofore, and
+broad belts of reeds were visible on either side of it, on which the
+animals exclusively subsisted. Most of the natives had followed us, and
+their patience and abstinence surprised me exceedingly. Some of them had
+been more than twenty-four hours without food, and yet seemed as little
+disposed to seek it as ever. I really thought they expected me to supply
+their wants, but as I could not act so liberal a scale, George M'Leay
+undeceived them; after which they betook themselves to the river, and got
+a supply of muscles. I rather think their going so frequently into the
+water engenders a catarrh, or renders them more liable to it than they
+otherwise would be. In the afternoon the wind shifted to the S.W. It blew
+a hurricane; and the temperature of the air was extremely low. The natives
+felt the cold beyond belief and kindled large fires. In the morning, when
+we moved away, the most of them started with fire-sticks to keep
+themselves warm; but they dropped off one by one, and at noon we found
+ourselves totally deserted.
+
+DREARINESS OF THE LANDSCAPE.
+
+It is impossible for me to describe the kind of country we were now
+traversing, or the dreariness of the view it presented. The plains were
+still open to the horizon, but here and there a stunted gum-tree, or a
+gloomy cypress, seemed placed by nature as mourners over the surrounding
+desolation. Neither beast nor bird inhabited these lonely and inhospitable
+regions, over which the silence of the grave seemed to reign. We had not,
+for days past, seen a blade of grass, so that the animals could not have
+been in very good condition. We pushed on, however, sixteen miles, in
+consequence of the coolness of the weather. We observed little change in
+the river in that distance, excepting that it had taken up a muddy bottom,
+and lost all the sand that used to fill it. The soil and productions on
+the plains continued unchanged in every respect. From this time to the
+22nd, the country presented the same aspect. Occasional groups of cypress
+showed themselves on narrow sandy ridges, or partial brushes extended from
+the river, consisting chiefly of the acacia pendula, the stenochylus,
+and the nut I have already noticed. The soil on which they grew was, if
+possible, worse than that of the barren plain which we were traversing;
+and their colour and drooping state rendered the desolate landscape still
+more dreary.
+
+On the 21st, we found the same singular substance(gypsum) embedded in the
+bank of the river that had been collected, during the former expedition,
+on the banks of the Darling; and hope, which is always uppermost in the
+human breast, induced me to think that we were fast approaching that
+stream. My observations placed me in 34 degrees 17 minutes 15 seconds
+S. and 145 degrees of E. longitude.
+
+BLACK BOY DESERTS.
+
+On the 22nd, my black boy deserted me. I was not surprised at his doing
+so, neither did I regret his loss, for he had been of little use under any
+circumstances. He was far too cunning for our purpose. I know not that the
+term ingratitude can be applied to one in his situation, and in whose
+bosom nature had implanted a love of freedom. We learnt from four blacks,
+with whom he had spoken, and who came to us in the afternoon, that he had
+gone up the river,--as I conjectured, to the last large tribe we had left,
+with whom he appeared to become very intimate.
+
+A creek coming from the N.N.W. here fell into the Morumbidgee; a proof
+that the general decline of country was really to the south, although a
+person looking over it would have supposed the contrary.
+
+COUNTRY SUBJECT TO INUNDATION.
+
+We started on the 23rd, with the same boundlessness of plain on either
+side of us; but in the course of the morning a change took place, both in
+soil and productions; and from the red sandy loam, and salsolaceous
+plants, amidst which we had been toiling, we got upon a light tenacious
+and blistered soil, evidently subject to frequent overflow, and fields of
+polygonum junceum, amidst which, both the crested pigeon and the black
+quail were numerous. The drays and animals sank so deep in this, that we
+were obliged to make for the river, and keep upon its immediate banks.
+Still, with all the appearance of far-spread inundation, it continued
+undiminished in size, and apparently in the strength of its current.
+Its channel was deeper than near the mountains, but its breadth was about
+the same.
+
+On the 24th, we were again entangled amidst fields of polygonum, through
+which we laboured until after eleven, when we gained a firmer soil. Some
+cypresses appeared upon our right, in a dark line, and I indulged hopes
+that a change was about to take place in the nature of the country. We
+soon, however, got on a light rotten earth, and were again obliged to make
+for the river, with the teams completely exhausted. We had not travelled
+many miles from our last camp, yet it struck me, that the river had
+fallen off in appearance. I examined it with feelings of intense anxiety,
+certain, as I was, that the flooded spaces, over which we had been
+travelling would, sooner or later, be succeeded by a country overgrown
+with reeds. The river evidently overflowed its banks, on both sides,
+for many miles, nor had I a doubt that, at some periods, the space
+northward, between it and the Lachlan, presented the appearance of one
+vast sea. The flats of polygonum stretched away to the N.W. to an amazing
+distance, as well as in a southerly direction, and the very nature of the
+soil bore testimony to its flooded origin. But the most unaccountable
+circumstance to me was, that it should be entirely destitute of
+vegetation, with the exception of the gloomy and leafless bramble I have
+noticed.
+
+M'Leay, who was always indefatigable in his pursuit after subjects of
+natural history, shot a cockatoo, of a new species, hereabouts, having a
+singularly shaped upper mandible. It was white, with scarlet down under
+the neck feathers, smaller than the common cockatoo, and remarkable for
+other peculiarities.
+
+INTERCOURSE WITH NATIVES; THE COLARE OR LACHLAN.
+
+Two or three natives made their appearance at some distance from the
+party, but would not approach it until after we had halted. They then
+came to the tents, seven in number, and it was evident from their manner,
+that their chief or only object was to pilfer anything they could. We
+did not, therefore, treat them with much ceremony. They were an
+ill-featured race, and it was only by strict watching during the night
+that they were prevented from committing theft. Probably from seeing that
+we were aware of their intentions, they left us early, and pointing
+somewhat to the eastward of north, said they were going to the Colare,
+and on being asked how far it was, they signified that they should sleep
+there. I had on a former occasion recollected the term having been made
+use of by a black, on the Macquarie, when speaking to me of the Lachlan,
+and had questioned one of the young men who was with us at the time, and
+who seemed more intelligent than his companions, respecting it.
+Immediately catching at the word, he had pointed to the N.N.W., and,
+making a sweep with his arms raised towards the sky had intimated,
+evidently, that a large sheet of water existed in that direction, in the
+same manner that another black had done on a former occasion: on being
+further questioned, he stated that this communicated with the Morumbidgee
+more to the westward, and on my expressing a desire to go to it, he said
+we could not do so under four days. We had, it appeared, by the account of
+the seven natives, approached within one day's journey of it, and, as I
+thought it would he advisable to gain a little knowledge of the country to
+the north, I suggested to M'Leay to ride in that direction, while the
+party should be at rest, with some good feed for the cattle that fortune
+had pointed out to us.
+
+EXCURSION TOWARDS THE LACHLAN.
+
+Our horses literally sank up to their knees on parts of the great plain
+over which we had in the first instance to pass, and we rode from three to
+four miles before we caught sight of a distant wood at its northern
+extremity; the view from the river having been for the last two or three
+days, as boundless as the ocean. As we approached the wood, two columns of
+smoke rose from it, considerably apart, evidently the fires of natives
+near water. We made for the central space between them, having a dead
+acacia scrub upon our right. On entering the wood, we found that it
+contained for the most part, flooded-gum, under which bulrushes and
+reeds were mixed together. The whole space seemed liable to overflow, and
+we crossed numerous little drains, that intersected each other in every
+direction. From the resemblance of the ground to that at the bottom of the
+marshes of the Macquarie, I prognosticated to my companion that we should
+shortly come upon a creek, and we had not ridden a quarter of a mile
+further, when we found ourselves on the banks of one of considerable size.
+Crossing it, we proceeded northerly, until we got on the outskirts of a
+plain of red sandy soil, covered with rhagodia alone, and without a tree
+upon the visible horizon. The country appeared to be rising before us, but
+was extremely depressed to the eastward. After continuing along this
+plain for some time, I became convinced from appearances, that we were
+receding from water, and that the fires of the natives, which were no
+longer visible, must have been on the creek we had crossed, that I judged
+to be leading W.S.W. from the opposite quarter. We had undoubtedly struck
+below to the westward of the Colare or Lachlan, and the creek was the
+channel of communication between it and the Morumbidgee, at least such was
+the natural conclusion at which I arrived. Having no further object in
+continuing a northerly course, we turned to the S.E., and, after again
+passing the creek, struck away for the camp on a S. by W. course, and
+passed through a dense brush of cypress and casuarina in our way to it.
+
+CONNECTION OF LACHLAN WITH MORUMBIDGEE.
+
+Considering our situation as connected with the marshes of the Lachlan,
+I cannot but infer that the creek we struck upon during this excursion
+serves as a drain to the latter, to conduct its superfluous waters into
+the Morumbidgee in times of flood, as those of the Macquarie are conducted
+by the creek at the termination of its marshes into Morrisset's Chain of
+Ponds. It will be understood that I only surmise this. I argue from
+analogy, not from proof. Whether I am correct or not, my knowledge of the
+facts I have stated, tended very much to satisfy my mind as to the LAY of
+the interior; and to revive my hopes that the Morumbidgee would not fail
+us, although there was no appearance of the country improving.
+
+COUNTRY COVERED WITH REEDS.
+
+We started on the 26th, on a course somewhat to the N.W., and traversed
+plains of the same wearisome description as those I have already
+described. The wheels of the drays sank up to their axle-trees, and the
+horses above their fetlocks at every step. The fields of polygonum spread
+on every side of us like a dark sea, and the only green object within
+range of our vision was the river line of trees. In several instances, the
+force of both teams was put to one dray, to extricate it from the bed into
+which it had sunk, and the labour was considerably increased from the
+nature of the weather. The wind was blowing as if through a furnace, from
+the N.N.E., and the dust was flying in clouds, so as to render it almost
+suffocating to remain exposed to it. This was the only occasion upon which
+we felt the hot winds in the interior. We were, about noon, endeavouring
+to gain a point of a wood at which I expected to come upon the river
+again, but it was impossible for the teams to reach it without assistance.
+I therefore sent M'Leay forward, with orders to unload the pack animals as
+soon as he should make the river, and send them back to help the teams. He
+had scarcely been separated from me 20 minutes, when one of the men came
+galloping back to inform me that no river was to be found--that the
+country beyond the wood was covered with reeds as far as the eye could
+reach, and that Mr. M'Leay had sent him back for instructions. This
+intelligence stunned me for a moment or two, and I am sure its effect upon
+the men was very great. They had unexpectedly arrived at a part of the
+interior similar to one they had held in dread, and conjured up a thousand
+difficulties and privations. I desired the man to recall Mr. M'Leay; and,
+after gaining the wood, moved outside of it at right angles to my former
+course, and reached the river, after a day of severe toil and exposure,
+at half-past five. The country, indeed, bore every resemblance to that
+around the marshes of the Macquarie, but I was too weary to make any
+further effort: indeed it was too late for me undertake anything until
+the morning.
+
+ANXIOUS COGITATIONS; SURVEY OF RIVER AND ENVIRONS.
+
+The circumstances in which we were so unexpectedly placed, occupied my
+mind so fully that I could not sleep; and I awaited the return of light
+with the utmost anxiety. If we were indeed on the outskirts of marshes
+similar to those I had on a former occasion found so much difficulty
+in examining, I foresaw that in endeavouring to move round then I should
+recede from water, and place the expedition in jeopardy, probably, without
+gaining any determinate point, as it would be necessary for me to advance
+slowly and with caution. Our provisions, however, being calculated to last
+only to a certain period, I was equally reluctant to delay our operations.
+My course was, therefore, to be regulated by the appearance of the country
+and of the river, which I purposed examining with the earliest dawn.
+If the latter should be found to run into a region of reeds, a boat would
+be necessary to enable me to ascertain its direction; but, if ultimately
+it should be discovered to exhaust itself, we should have to strike into
+the interior on a N.W. course, in search of the Darling. I could not think
+of putting the whale-boat together in our then state of uncertainty, and
+it struck me that a smaller one could sooner he prepared for the purposes
+for which I should require it. These considerations, together with the
+view I had taken of the measures I might at last be forced into,
+determined me, on rising, to order Clayton to fell a suitable tree, and to
+prepare a saw-pit. The labour was of no consideration, and even if
+eventually the boat should not be wanted, no injury would arise, and it
+was better to take time by the forelock. Having marked a tree preparatory
+to leaving the camp, M'Leay and I started at an early hour on an excursion
+of deeper interest than any we had as yet undertaken; to examine the
+reeds, not only for the purpose of ascertaining their extent, if possible,
+but also to guide us in our future measures. We rode for some miles along
+the river side, but observed in it no signs, either of increase or of
+exhaustion. Its waters, though turbid, were deep, and its current still
+rapid. Its banks, too, were lofty, and showed no evidence of decreasing
+in height, so as to occasion an overflow of them, as had been the case
+with the Macquarie. We got among vast bodies of reeds, but the plains of
+the interior were visible beyond them. We were evidently in a hollow, and
+the decline of country was plainly to the southward of west. Every thing
+tended to strengthen my conviction that we were still far from the
+termination of the river. The character it had borne throughout, and its
+appearance now so far to the westward, gave me the most lively hopes that
+it would make good its way through the vast level into which it fell, and
+that its termination would accord with its promise. Besides, I daily
+anticipated its junction with some stream of equal, if not of greater
+magnitude from the S.E. I was aware that my resolves must be instant,
+decisive, and immediately acted upon, as on firmness and promptitude at
+this crisis the success of the expedition depended. About noon I checked
+my horse, and rather to the surprise of my companion, intimated to
+him my intention of returning to the camp, He naturally asked what I
+purposed doing. I told him it appeared to me more than probable that the
+Morumbidgee would hold good its course to some fixed point, now that it
+had reached a meridian beyond the known rivers of the interior. It was
+certain, from the denseness of the reeds, and the breadth of the belts,
+that the teams could not be brought any farther, and that, taking every
+thing into consideration, I had resolved on a bold and desperate measure,
+that of building the whale-boat, and sending home the drays. Our
+appearance in camp so suddenly, surprised the men not more than the orders
+I gave. They all thought I had struck on some remarkable change of
+country, and were anxious to know my ultimate views. It was not my
+intention however, immediately to satisfy their curiosity. I had to study
+their characters as long as I could, in order to select those best
+qualified to accompany me on the desperate adventure for which I was
+preparing.
+
+BOAT BUILDING.
+
+The attention both of M'Leay, and myself, was turned to the hasty building
+of the whale-boat. A shed was erected, and every necessary preparation
+made, and although Clayton had the keel of the small boat already laid
+down, and some planks prepared, she was abandoned for the present, and,
+after four days more of arduous labour, the whale-boat was painted and in
+the water. From her dimensions, it appeared to me impossible that she
+would hold all our provisions and stores, for her after-part had been
+fitted up as an armoury, which took away considerably from her capacity of
+stowage. The small boat would still, therefore, be necessary, and she was
+accordingly re-laid, for half the dimensions of the large boat, and in
+three days was alongside her consort in the river. Thus, in seven days we
+had put together a boat, twenty-seven feet in length, had felled a tree
+from the forest, with which we had built a second of half the size, had
+painted both, and had them at a temporary wharf ready for loading. Such
+would not have been the case had not our hearts been in the work, as the
+weather was close and sultry, and we found it a task of extreme labour.
+In the intervals between the hours of work, I prepared my despatches for
+the Governor, and when they were closed, it only remained for me to select
+six hands, the number I intended should accompany me down the river, and
+to load the boats, ere we should once more proceed in the further
+obedience of our instructions.
+
+COMPLETION OF ARRANGEMENTS FOR EMBARKATION.
+
+It was impossible that I could do without Clayton, whose perseverance and
+industry had mainly contributed to the building of the boats; of the other
+prisoners, I chose Mulholland and Macnamee; leaving the rest in charge
+of Robert Harris, whose steady conduct had merited my approbation. My
+servant, Harris, Hopkinson, and Fraser, of course, made up the crews.
+The boats were loaded in the evening of Jan. 6th, as it had been
+necessary to give the paint a little time to dry. On the 4th, I had sent
+Clayton and Mulholland to the nearest cypress range for a mast and spar,
+and on the evening of that day some blacks had visited us; but they sat on
+the bank of the river, preserving a most determined silence; and, at
+length, left us abruptly, and apparently in great ill humour. In the
+disposition of the loads, I placed all the flour, the tea, and tobacco,
+in the whaleboat. The meat-casks, still, and carpenters' tools, were put
+into the small boat.
+
+As soon as the different arrangements were completed, I collected the men,
+and told off those who were to accompany me. I then gave the rest over in
+charge to Harris, and, in adverting to their regular conduct hitherto,
+trusted they would be equally careful while under his orders. I then
+directed the last remaining sheep to be equally divided among us; and it
+was determined that, for fear of accidents, Harris should remain
+stationary for a week, at the expiration of which time, he would be at
+liberty to proceed to Goulburn Plains, there to receive his instructions
+from Sydney; while the boats were to proceed at an early hour of the
+morning down the river,--whether ever to return again being a point of the
+greatest uncertainty.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+
+
+Embarkation of the party in the boats, and voyage down the Morumbidgee--
+The skiff swamped by striking on a sunken tree--Recovery of boat and its
+loading--Region of reeds--Dangers of the navigation--Contraction of the
+channel--Reach the junction of a large river--Intercourse with the natives
+on its banks--Character of the country below the junction of the rivers--
+Descent of a dangerous rapid--Warlike demonstrations of a tribe of
+natives--Unexpected deliverance from a conflict with them--Junction of
+another river--Give the name of the "Murray" to the principal stream.
+
+
+The camp was a scene of bustle and confusion long before day-light. The
+men whom I had selected to accompany me were in high spirits, and so eager
+to commence their labours that they had been unable to sleep, but busied
+themselves from the earliest dawn in packing up their various articles of
+clothing, &c. We were prevented from taking our departure so early as I
+had intended, by rain that fell about six. At a little after seven,
+however, the weather cleared up, the morning mists blew over our heads,
+and the sun struck upon us with his usual fervour. As soon as the minor
+things were stowed away, we bade adieu to Harris and his party; and
+shortly after, embarked on the bosom of that stream along the banks of
+which we had journeyed for so many miles
+
+Notwithstanding that we only used two oars, our progress down the river
+was rapid. Hopkinson had arranged the loads so well, that all the party
+could sit at their ease, and Fraser was posted in the bow of the boat,
+with gun in hand, to fire at any new bird or beast that we might surprise
+in our silent progress. The little boat, which I shall henceforward call
+the skiff, was fastened by a painter to our stern.
+
+SUPPOSED JUNCTION OF LACHLAN.
+
+As the reader will have collected from what has already fallen under his
+notice, the country near the depot was extensively covered with reeds,
+beyond which vast plains of polygonum stretched away. From the bed of the
+river we could not observe the change that took place in it as we passed
+along, so that we found it necessary to land, from time to time, for the
+purpose of noting down its general appearance. At about fifteen miles from
+the depot, we came upon a large creek-junction from the N.E., which I did
+not doubt to be the one M'Leay and I had crossed on the 25th of December.
+It was much larger than the creek of the Macquarie, and was capable of
+holding a very great body of water, although evidently too small to
+contain all that occasionally rushed from its source. I laid it down as
+the supposed junction of the Lachlan, since I could not, against the
+corroborating facts in my possession, doubt its originating in the marshes
+of that river. Should this, eventually, prove to be the case, the similar
+termination of the two streams traced by Mr. Oxley will be a singular
+feature in the geography of the interior.
+
+EMUS--NATIVE TOMB.
+
+We were just about to land, to prepare our dinner, when two emus swam
+across the river ahead of us. This was an additional inducement for us to
+land, but we were unfortunately too slow, and the birds escaped us. We had
+rushed in to the right bank, and found on ascending it, that the reeds
+with which it had hitherto been lined, had partially ceased. A large
+plain, similar to those over which we had wandered prior to our gaining
+the flooded region, stretched away to a considerable distance behind us,
+and was backed by cypresses and brush. The soil of the plain was a red
+sandy loam, covered sparingly with salsolae and shrubs; thus indicating
+that the country still preserved its barren character, and that it is the
+same from north to south. Among the shrubs we found a tomb that appeared
+to have been recently constructed. No mound had been raised over the body,
+but an oval hollow shed occupied the centre of the burial place, that was
+lined with reeds and bound together with strong net-work. Round this, the
+usual walks were cut, and the recent traces of women's feet were visible
+upon them, but we saw no natives, although, from the number and size of
+the paths that led from the river, in various directions across the plain,
+I was led to conclude, that, at certain seasons, it is hereabouts
+numerously frequented. Fraser gathered some rushes similar to those used
+by the natives of the Darling in the fabrication of their nets, and as
+they had not before been observed, we judged them, of course, to be a sign
+of our near approach to that river.
+
+ASPECT OF COUNTRY AND RIVER.
+
+As soon as we had taken a hasty dinner, we again embarked, and pursued our
+journey. I had hoped, from the appearance of the country to the north of
+us, although that to the south gave little indication of any change, that
+we should soon clear the reeds; but at somewhat less than a mile they
+closed in upon the river, and our frequent examination of the
+neighbourhood on either side of it only tended to confirm the fact, that
+we were passing through a country subject to great and extensive
+inundation. We pulled up at half-past five, and could scarcely find space
+enough to pitch our tents.
+
+The Morumbidgee kept a decidedly westerly course during the day. Its
+channel was not so tortuous as we expected to have found it, nor did it
+offer any obstruction to the passage of the boats. Its banks kept a
+general height of eight feet, five of which were of alluvial soil, and
+both its depth and its current were considerable. We calculated having
+proceeded from 28 to 30 miles, though, perhaps, not more than half that
+distance in a direct line. No rain fell during the day, but we experienced
+some heavy squalls from the E.S.E.
+
+THE SKIFF STRIKES AND SINKS--LABOUR IN RECOVERING ARTICLES LOST.
+
+The second day of our journey from the depot was marked by an accident
+that had well nigh obliged us to abandon the further pursuit of the river,
+by depriving us of part of our means of carrying it into effect. We had
+proceeded, as usual, at an early hour in the morning, and not long after
+we started, fell in with the blacks who had visited us last, and who were
+now in much better humour than upon that occasion. As they had their women
+with them, we pushed in to the bank, and distributed some presents, after
+which we dropped quietly down the river. Its general depth had been such
+as to offer few obstructions to our progress, but about an hour after we
+left the natives, the skiff struck upon a sunken log, and immediately
+filling, went down in about twelve feet of water, The length of the
+painter prevented any strain upon the whale-boat, but the consequence of
+so serious an accident at once flashed upon our minds. That we should
+suffer considerably, we could not doubt, but our object was to get the
+skiff up with the least possible delay, to prevent the fresh water from
+mixing with the brine, in the casks of meat. Some short time, however,
+necessarily elapsed before we could effect this, and when at last the
+skiff was hauled ashore, we found that we were too late to prevent the
+mischief that we had anticipated. All the things had been fastened in the
+boat, but either from the shock, or the force of the current, one of the
+pork casks, the head of the still, and the greater part of the carpenter's
+tools, had been thrown out of her. As the success of the expedition might
+probably depend upon the complete state of the still, I determined to use
+every effort for its recovery: but I was truly at a loss how to find it;
+for the waters of the river were extremely turbid. In this dilemma, the
+blacks would have been of the most essential service, but they were far
+behind us, so that we had to depend on our own exertions alone. I directed
+the whale-boat to be moored over the place where the accident had
+happened, and then used the oars on either side of her, to feel along the
+bottom of the river, in hopes that by these means we should strike upon
+the articles we had lost. However unlikely such a measure was to prove
+successful, we recovered in the course of the afternoon, every thing but
+the still-head, and a cask of paint. Whenever the oar struck against the
+substance that appeared, by its sound or feel to belong to us, it was
+immediately pushed into the sand, and the upper end of the oar being held
+by two men, another descended by it to the bottom of the river, remaining
+under water as long as he could, to ascertain what was immediately within
+arm's length of him. This work was, as may be imagined, most laborious,
+and the men at length became much exhausted. They would not, however, give
+up the search for the still head, more especially after M'Leay, in diving,
+had descended upon it. Had he, by ascertaining his position, left it to us
+to heave it up, our labours would soon have ended; but, in his anxiety for
+its recovery, he tried to bring it up, when finding it too heavy, he let
+it go, and the current again swept it away.
+
+At sunset. we were obliged to relinquish our task, the men complaining of
+violent head-aches, which the nature of the day increased. Thinking our
+own efforts would be unavailing, I directed two of the men to go up the
+river for the blacks, at day-light in the morning, and set the reeds on
+fire to attract their notice. The day had been cloudy and sultry in the
+afternoon, the clouds collecting in the N.E.: we heard the distant
+thunder, and expected to have been deluged with rain. None, however,
+fell, although we were anxious for moisture to change the oppressive state
+of the atmosphere. The fire I had kindled raged behind us, and threw dense
+columns of smoke into the sky, that cast over the landscape a shade of the
+most dismal gloom. We were not in a humour to admire the picturesque, but
+soon betook ourselves to rest, and after such a day of labour as that we
+had undergone, I dispensed with the night guard.
+
+PILFERING OF NATIVES.
+
+In the morning we resumed our search for the still head, which Hopkinson
+at length fortunately struck with his oar. It had been swept considerably
+below the place at which M'Leay had dived, or we should most probably have
+found it sooner. With its recovery, all our fatigues were at once
+forgotten, and I ordered the breakfast to be got ready preparatory to our
+reloading the skiff. Fraser and Mulholland, who had left the camp at
+daylight, had not yet returned. I was sitting in the tent, when Macnamee
+came to inform me that one of the frying-pans was missing, which had
+been in use the evening previous, for that he himself had placed it on the
+stump of a tree, and he therefore supposed a native dog had run away with
+it. Soon after this, another loss was reported to me, and it was at last
+discovered that an extensive robbery had been committed upon us during
+the night, and that, in addition to the frying-pan, three cutlasses, and
+five tomahawks, with the pea of the steelyards, had been carried away.
+I was extremely surprised at this instance of daring in the natives, and
+determined, if possible, to punish it. About ten, Fraser and Mulholland
+returned with two blacks. Fraser told me he saw several natives on our
+side of the river, as he was returning, to whom those who were with him
+spoke, and I felt convinced from their manner and hesitation, that they
+were aware of the trick that had been played upon us. However, as Fraser
+had promised them a tomahawk to induce them to accompany him, I fulfilled
+the promise.
+
+CONTINUE OUR VOYAGE.
+
+Leaving this unlucky spot, we made good about sixteen miles during the
+afternoon. The river maintained its breadth and depth nor were the reeds
+continuous upon its banks. We passed several plains that were considerably
+elevated above the alluvial deposits, and the general appearance of the
+country induced me strongly to hope that we should shortly get out of the
+region of reeds, or the great flooded concavity on which we had fixed our
+depot; but the sameness of vegetation, and the seemingly diminutive size
+of the timber in the distance, argued against any change for the better
+in the soil of the interior. Having taken the precaution of shortening the
+painter of the skiff, we found less difficulty in steering her clear
+of obstacles, and made rapid progress down the Morumbidgee during the
+first cool and refreshing hours of the morning. The channel of the river
+became somewhat less contracted, but still retained sufficient depth for
+larger boats than ours, and preserved a general westerly course. Although
+no decline of country was visible to the eye, the current in places ran
+very strong. It is impossible for me to convey to the reader's mind an
+idea of the nature of the country through which we passed. On this day the
+favourable appearances, noticed yesterday, ceased almost as soon as we
+embarked. On the 10th, reeds lined the banks of the river on both sides,
+without any break, and waved like gloomy streamers over its turbid waters;
+while the trees stood leafless and sapless in the midst of them. Wherever
+we landed, the same view presented itself--a waving expanse of reeds, and
+a country as flat as it is possible to imagine one. The eye could seldom
+penetrate beyond three quarters of a mile, and the labour of walking
+through the reeds was immense; but within our observation all was green
+and cheerless. The morning had been extremely cold, with a thick haze at
+E.S.E. About 2 p.m. it came on to rain heavily, so that we did not stir
+after that hour.
+
+CONTRACTION OF THE CHANNEL.
+
+I had remarked that the Morumbidgee was not, from the depot downwards, so
+broad or so fine a river as it certainly is at the foot of the mountain
+ranges, where it gains the level country. The observations of the last two
+days had impressed upon my mind an idea that it was rapidly falling off,
+and I began to dread that it would finally terminate in one of those fatal
+marshes in which the Macquarie and the Lachlan exhaust themselves. My hope
+of a more favourable issue was considerably damped by the general
+appearance of the surrounding country; and from the circumstance of our
+not having as yet passed a single tributary. As we proceeded down the
+river, its channel gradually contracted, and immense trees that had been
+swept down it by floods, rendered the navigation dangerous and intricate.
+Its waters became so turbid, that it was impossible to see objects in it,
+notwithstanding the utmost diligence on the part of the men.
+
+About noon, we fell in with a large tribe of natives, but had great
+difficulty in bringing them to visit us. If they had HEARD of white men,
+we were evidently the first they had ever SEEN. They approached us in the
+most cautious manner, and were unable to subdue their fears as long as
+they remained with us. Collectively, these people could not have amounted
+to less than one hundred and twenty in number.
+
+ANOTHER ACCIDENT.
+
+As we pushed off from the bank, after having stayed with them about half
+an hour, the whaleboat struck with such violence on a sunken log, that she
+immediately leaked on her starboard side. Fortunately she was going slowly
+at the time, or she would most probably have received some more serious
+injury. One of the men was employed during the remainder of the afternoon
+in bailing her out, and we stopped sooner than we should otherwise have
+done, in order to ascertain the extent of damage, and to repair it. The
+reeds terminated on both sides of the river some time before we pulled up,
+and the country round the camp was more elevated than usual, and bore the
+appearance of open forest pasture land, the timber upon it being a dwarf
+species of box, and the soil a light tenacious earth.
+
+ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY AND OF THE RIVER.
+
+About a mile below our encampment of the 12th, we at length came upon a
+considerable creek-junction from the S.E. Below it, the river increased
+both in breadth and depth; banks were lofty and perpendicular, and even
+the lowest levels were but partially covered with reeds. We met with fewer
+obstructions in consequence, and pursued our journey with restored
+confidence. Towards evening a great change also took place in the aspect
+of the country, which no longer bore general marks of inundation. The
+level of the interior was broken by a small hill to the right of the
+stream, but the view from its summit rather damped than encouraged my
+hopes of any improvement. The country was covered with wood and brush, and
+the line of the horizon was unbroken by the least swell. We were on an
+apparently boundless flat, without any fixed point on which to direct our
+movements, nor was there a single object for the eye to rest upon, beyond
+the dark and gloomy wood that surrounded us on every side.
+
+Soon after passing this hill, the whale-boat struck upon a line of sunken
+rocks, but fortunately escaped without injury. Mulholland, who was
+standing in the bow, was thrown out of her, head foremost, and got a good
+soaking, but soon recovered himself. The composition of the rock was
+iron-stone, and it is the first formation that occurs westward of the
+dividing range. We noticed a few cypresses in the distance, but the
+general timber was dwarf-box, or flooded-gum, and a few of the acacia
+longa scattered at great distances. In verifying our position by some
+lunars, we found ourselves in 142 degrees 46 minutes 30 seconds of east
+long., and in lat. 35 degrees 25 minutes 15 seconds S. the mean variation
+of the compass being 4 degrees 10 minutes E. it appearing that we were
+decreasing the variation as we proceeded westward.
+
+On the 13th, we passed the first running stream that joins the
+Morumbidgee, in a course of more than 340 miles. It came from the S.E.,
+and made a visible impression on the river at the junction, although in
+tracing it up, it appeared to be insignificant in itself. The circumstance
+of these tributaries all occurring on the left, evidenced the level nature
+of the country to the north. In the afternoon, we passed a dry creek also
+from the S.E. which must at times throw a vast supply of water into the
+river, since for many miles below, the latter preserved a breadth of
+200 feet, and averaged from 12 to 20 feet in depth, with banks of from
+15 to 18 feet in height. Yet, notwithstanding its general equality of
+depth, several rapids occurred, down which the boats were hurried with
+great velocity. The body of water in the river continued undiminished,
+notwithstanding its increased breadth of channel; for which reason I
+should imagine that it is fed by springs, independently of other supplies.
+Some few cypresses were again observed, and the character of the distant
+country resembled, in every particular, that of the interior between the
+Macquarie and the Darling. The general appearance of the Morumbidgee, from
+the moment of our starting on the 13th, to a late hour in the afternoon,
+had been such as to encourage my hopes of ultimate success in tracing it
+down; but about three o'clock we came to one of those unaccountable and
+mortifying changes which had already so frequently excited my
+apprehension. Its channel again suddenly contracted, and became almost
+blocked up with huge trees, that must have found their way into it down
+the creeks or junctions we had lately passed. The rapidity of the current
+increasing at the same time, rendered the navigation perplexing and
+dangerous. We Passed reach after reach, presenting the same difficulties,
+and were at length obliged to pull up at 5 p.m., having a scene of
+confusion and danger before us that I did not dare to encounter with the
+evening's light; for I had not only observed that the men's eye-sight
+failed them as the sun descended, and that they mistook shadows for
+objects under water, and VICE-VERSA, but the channel had become so narrow
+that, although the banks were not of increased height, we were involved in
+comparative darkness, under a close arch of trees, and a danger was hardly
+seen ere we were hurried past it, almost without the possibility of
+avoiding it. The reach at the head of which we stopped, was crowded with
+the trunks of trees, the branches of which crossed each other in every
+direction, nor could I hope, after a minute examination of the channel,
+to succeed in taking the boats safely down so intricate a passage.
+
+DANGEROUS NAVIGATION OF THE MORUMBIDGEE.
+
+We rose in the morning with feelings of apprehension, and uncertainty;
+and, indeed, with great doubts on our minds whether we were not thus early
+destined to witness the wreck, and the defeat of the expedition. The men
+got slowly and cautiously into the boat, and placed themselves so as to
+leave no part of her undefended. Hopkinson stood at the bow, ready with
+poles to turn her head from anything upon which she might be drifting.
+Thus prepared, we allowed her to go with the stream. By extreme care and
+attention on the part of the men we passed this formidable barrier.
+Hopkinson in particular exerted himself, and more than once leapt from the
+boat upon apparently rotten logs of wood, that I should not have judged
+capable of bearing his weight, the more effectually to save the boat.
+It might have been imagined that where such a quantity of timber had
+accumulated, a clearer channel would have been found below, but such was
+not the case. In every reach we had to encounter fresh difficulties. In
+some places huge trees lay athwart the stream, under whose arched branches
+we were obliged to pass; but, generally speaking, they had been carried,
+roots foremost, by the current, and, therefore, presented so many points
+to receive us, that, at the rate at which we were going, had we struck
+full upon any one of them, it would have gone through and through the
+boat. About noon we stopped to repair, or rather to take down the remains
+of our awning, which had been torn away; and to breathe a moment from the
+state of apprehension and anxiety in which our minds had been kept during
+the morning. About one, we again started. The men looked anxiously out
+ahead; for the singular change in the river had impressed on them an idea,
+that we were approaching its termination, or near some adventure. On a
+sudden, the river took a general southern direction, but, in its tortuous
+course, swept round to every point of the compass with the greatest
+irregularity. We were carried at a fearful rate down its gloomy and
+contracted banks, and, in such a moment of excitement, had little time to
+pay attention to the country through which we were passing. It was,
+however, observed, that chalybeate-springs were numerous close to the
+water's edge. At 3 p.m., Hopkinson called out that we were approaching
+a junction, and in less than a minute afterwards, we were hurried into a
+broad and noble river.
+
+JUNCTION OF A LARGE RIVER--CHARACTER OF THE RIVER.
+
+It is impossible for me to describe the effect of so instantaneous a
+change of circumstances upon us. The boats were allowed to drift along at
+pleasure, and such was the force with which we had been shot out of the
+Morumbidgee, that we were carried nearly to the bank opposite its
+embouchure, whilst we continued to gaze in silent astonishment on the
+capacious channel we had entered; and when we looked for that by which we
+had been led into it, we could hardly believe that the insignificant gap
+that presented itself to us was, indeed, the termination of the beautiful
+and noble stream, whose course we had thus successfully followed. I can
+only compare the relief we experienced to that which the seaman feels on
+weathering the rock upon which be expected his vessel would have
+struck--to the calm which succeeds moments of feverish anxiety, when the
+dread of danger is succeeded by the certainty of escape.
+
+To myself personally, the discovery of this river was a circumstance of a
+particularly gratifying nature, since it not only confirmed the justness
+of my opinion as to the ultimate fate of the Morumbidgee, and bore me out
+in the apparently rash and hasty step I had taken at the depot, but
+assured me of ultimate success in the duty I had to perform. We had got on
+the high road, as it were, either to the south coast, or to some
+important outlet; and the appearance of the river itself was such as to
+justify our most sanguine expectations. I could not doubt its being the
+great channel of the streams from the S.E. angle of the island. Mr. Hume
+had mentioned to me that he crossed three very considerable streams, when
+employed with Mr. Hovell in 1823 in penetrating towards Port Phillips, to
+which the names of the Goulburn, the Hume, and the Ovens, had been given;
+and as I was 300 miles from the track these gentlemen had pursued, I
+considered it more than probable that those rivers must already have
+formed a junction above me, more especially when I reflected that the
+convexity of the mountains to the S.E. would necessarily direct the waters
+falling inwards from them to a common centre.
+
+We entered the new river at right angles, and, as I have remarked, at the
+point of junction the channel of the Morumbidgee had narrowed so as to
+bear all the appearance of an ordinary creek. In breadth it did not exceed
+fifty feet, and if, instead of having passed down it, I had been making my
+way up the principal streams, I should little have dreamt that so dark and
+gloomy an outlet concealed a river that would lead me to the haunts of
+civilized man, and whose fountains rose amidst snow-clad mountains. Such,
+however, is the characteristic of the streams falling to the westward of
+the coast ranges. Descending into a low and level interior, and depending
+on their immediate springs for existence, they fall off, as they increase
+their distance from the base of the mountains in which they rise, and in
+their lower branches give little results of the promise they had
+previously made.
+
+The opinion I have expressed, and which is founded on my personal
+experience, that the rivers crossed by Messrs. Hovell and Hume had
+already united above me, was strengthened by the capacity of the stream we
+had just discovered. It had a medium width of 350 feet, with a depth of
+from twelve to twenty. Its reaches were from half to three-quarters of a
+mile in length, and the views upon it were splendid. Of course, as the
+Morumbidgee entered it from the north, its first reach must have been
+E. and W., and it was so, as nearly as possible; but it took us a little
+to the southward of the latter point, in a distance of about eight miles
+that we pulled down it in the course of the afternoon. We then landed and
+pitched our tents for the night. Its transparent waters were running over
+a sandy bed at the rate of two-and-a-half knots an hour, and its banks,
+although averaging eighteen feet in height, were evidently subject to
+floods.
+
+ABSENCE OF NATIVES.
+
+We had not seen any natives since falling in with the last tribe on the
+Morumbidgee. A cessation had, therefore, taken place in our communication
+with them, in re-establishing which I anticipated considerable difficulty.
+It appeared singular that we should not have fallen in with any for
+several successive days, more especially at the junction of the two
+rivers, as in similar situations they generally have an establishment. In
+examining the country back from the stream, I did not observe any large
+paths, but it was evident that fires had made extensive ravages in the
+neighbourhood, so that the country was, perhaps, only temporarily
+deserted. Macnamee, who had wandered a little from the tents, declared
+that he had seen about a dozen natives round a fire, from whom (if he
+really did see them) he very precipitately fled, but I was inclined to
+discredit his story, because in our journey on the following day, we
+did not see even a casual wanderer.
+
+WEATHER, TEMPERATURE, &C.
+
+The river maintained its character, and raised our hopes to the highest
+pitch. Its breadth varied from 160 to 200 yards; and only in one place,
+where a reef of iron-stone stretched nearly across from the left bank,
+so as to contract the channel near the right and to form a considerable
+rapid, was there any apparent obstruction to our navigation. I was sorry,
+however, to remark that the breadth of alluvial soil between its outer and
+inner banks was very inconsiderable, and that the upper levels were poor
+and sandy. Blue-gum generally occupied the former, while the usual
+productions of the plains still predominated upon the latter, and showed
+that the distant interior had not yet undergone any favourable change.
+We experienced strong breezes from the north, but the range of the
+thermometer was high, and the weather rather oppressive than otherwise.
+On the night of the 16th, we had a strong wind from the N.W., but it
+moderated with day-light, and shifted to the E.N.E., and the day was
+favourable and cool. Our progress was in every way satisfactory, and if
+any change had taken place in the river, it was that the banks had
+increased in height, in many places to thirty feet, the soil being a red
+loam, and the surface much above the reach of floods. The bank opposite to
+the one that was so elevated, was proportionably low, and, in general, not
+only heavily timbered, but covered with reeds, and backed by a chain of
+ponds at the base of the outer embankment.
+
+INTERCOURSE WITH NATIVES.
+
+About 4 p.m., some natives were observed running by the river side behind
+us, but on our turning the boat's head towards the shore, they ran away.
+It was evident that they had no idea what we were, and, from their
+timidity, feeling assured that it would be impossible to bring them to a
+parley, we continued onwards till our usual hour of stopping, when we
+pitched our tents on the left bank for the night, it being the one
+opposite to that on which the natives had appeared. We conjectured that
+their curiosity would lead them to follow us, which they very shortly did;
+for we had scarcely made ourselves comfortable when we heard their wild
+notes through the woods as they advanced towards the river; and their
+breaking into view with their spears and shields, and painted and prepared
+as they were for battle, was extremely fine. They stood threatening us,
+and making a great noise, for a considerable time, but, finding that we
+took no notice of them, they, at length, became quiet. I then walked to
+some little distance from the party, and taking a branch in my hand, as a
+sign of peace, beckoned them to swim to our side of the river, which,
+after some time, two or three of them did. But they approached me with
+great caution, hesitating at every step. They soon, however, gained
+confidence, and were ultimately joined by all the males of their tribe.
+I gave the FIRST who swam the river a tomahawk (making this a rule in
+order to encourage them) with which he was highly delighted. I shortly
+afterwards placed them all in a row and fired a gun before them: they were
+quite unprepared for such an explosion, and after standing stupified and
+motionless for a moment or two, they simultaneously took to their heels,
+to our great amusement. I succeeded, however, in calling them back, and
+they regained their confidence so much, that sixteen of them remained with
+us all night, but the greater number retired at sunset.
+
+On the following morning, they accompanied us down the river, where we
+fell in with their tribe, who were stationed on an elevated bank a short
+distance below--to the number of eighty-three men, women, and children.
+Their appearance was extremely picturesque and singular. They wanted us to
+land, but time was too precious for such delays. Some of the boldest of
+the natives swam round and round the boat so as to impede the use of the
+oars, and the women on the bank evinced their astonishment by mingled
+yells and cries. They entreated us, by signs, to remain with them, but, as
+I foresaw a compliance on this occasion would hereafter be attended with
+inconvenience, I thought it better to proceed on our journey, and the
+natives soon ceased their importunities, and, indeed, did not follow or
+molest us.
+
+ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY AND OF THE RIVER BANKS.
+
+The river improved upon us at every mile. Its reaches were of noble
+breadth, and splendid appearance. Its current was stronger, and it was fed
+by numerous springs. Rocks, however, were more frequent in its bed, and in
+two places almost formed a barrier across the channel, leaving but a
+narrow space for the boats to go down. We passed several elevations of
+from 70 to 90 feet in height, at the base of which the stream swept along.
+The soil of these elevations was a mixture of clay (marl) and sand, upon
+coarse sandstone. Their appearance and the manner in which they had been
+acted upon by water, was singular, and afforded a proof of the violence of
+the rains in this part of the interior. From the highest of these, I
+observed that the country to the S.E. was gently undulated, and so far
+changed in character from that through which we had been travelling;
+still, however, it was covered with a low scrub, and was barren and
+unpromising.
+
+About noon of the 18th, we surprised two women at the water-side, who
+immediately retreated into the brush. Shortly after, four men showed
+themselves, and followed us for a short distance, but hid themselves upon
+our landing. The country still appeared undulated to the S.E.; the soil
+was sandy, and cypresses more abundant than any other tree. We passed
+several extensive sand-banks in the river, of unusual size and solidity,
+an evident proof of the sandy nature of the interior generally. The vast
+accumulations of sand at the junctions of every creek were particularly
+remarkable. The timber on the alluvial flats was not by any means so large
+as we had hitherto observed it; nor were the flats themselves so extensive
+as they are on the Morumbidgee and the Macquarie. Notwithstanding the
+aspect of the country which I have described, no POSITIVE change had as
+yet taken place in the general feature of the interior. The river
+continued to flow in a direction somewhat to the northward of west,
+through a country that underwent no perceptible alteration. Its waters,
+confined to their immediate bed, swept along considerably below the level
+of its inner banks; and the spaces between them and the outer ones, though
+generally covered with reeds, seemed not recently to have been flooded;
+while on the other hand, they had, in many places, from successive
+depositions, risen to a height far above the reach of inundation. Still,
+however, the more remote interior maintained its sandy and sterile
+character, and stretched away, in alternate plain and wood, to a distance
+far beyond the limits of our examination.
+
+About the 21st, a very evident change took place in it. The banks of the
+river suddenly acquired a perpendicular and water-worn appearance. Their
+summits were perfectly level, and no longer confined by a secondary
+embankment, but preserved an uniform equality of surface back from the
+stream. These banks, although so abrupt, were not so high as the upper
+levels, or secondary embankments. They indicated a deep alluvial deposit,
+and yet, being high above the reach of any ordinary flood, were covered
+with grass, under an open box forest, into which a moderately dense scrub
+occasionally penetrated. We had fallen into a concavity similar to those
+of the marshes, but successive depositions had almost filled it, and no
+longer subject to inundation, it had lost all the character of those
+flooded tracts. The kind of country I have been describing, lay rather to
+the right than to the left of the river at this place, the latter
+continuing low and swampy, as if the country to the south of the river
+were still subject to inundation. As the expedition proceeded, the left
+bank gradually assumed the appearance of the right; both looked water-worn
+and perpendicular, and though not more than from nine to ten feet in
+height, their summits were perfectly level in receding, and bore
+diminutive box-timber, with widely-scattered vegetation. Not a single
+elevation had, as yet, broken the dark and gloomy monotony of the
+interior; but as our observations were limited to a short distance from
+the river, our surmises on the nature of the distant country were
+necessarily involved in some uncertainty.
+
+THREATENED ATTACK--AMICABLE CONFERENCE.
+
+On the 19th, as we were about to conclude our journey for the day, we saw
+a large body of natives before us. On approaching them, they showed every
+disposition for combat, and ran along the bank with spears in rests, as if
+only waiting for an opportunity to throw them at us. They were upon the
+right, and as the river was broad enough to enable me to steer wide of
+them, I did not care much for their threats; but upon another party
+appearing upon the left bank, I thought it high time to disperse one or
+the other of them, as the channel was not wide enough to enable me to keep
+clear of danger, if assailed by both, as I might be while keeping amid the
+channel. I found, however, that they did not know how to use the advantage
+they possessed, as the two divisions formed a junction; those on the left
+swimming over to the stronger body upon the right bank. This, fortunately,
+prevented the necessity of any hostile measure on my part, and we were
+suffered to proceed unmolested, for the present. The whole then followed
+us without any symptom of fear, but making a dreadful shouting, and
+beating their spears and shields together, by way of intimidation. It is
+but justice to my men to say that in this critical situation they evinced
+the greatest coolness, though it was impossible for any one to witness
+such a scene with indifference. As I did not intend to fatigue the men by
+continuing to pull farther than we were in the habit of doing, we landed
+at our usual time on the left bank, and while the people were pitching the
+tents, I walked down the bank with M'Leay, to treat with these desperadoes
+in the best way we could, across the water, a measure to which my men
+showed great reluctance, declaring that if during our absence the natives
+approached them, they would undoubtedly fire upon them. I assured them it
+was not my intention to go out of their sight. We took our guns with us,
+but determined not to use them until the last extremity, both from a
+reluctance to shed blood and with a view to our future security. I held a
+long pantomimical dialogue with them, across the water, and held out the
+olive branch in token of amity. They at length laid aside their spears,
+and a long consultation took place among them, which ended in two or three
+wading into the river, contrary, as it appeared, to the earnest
+remonstrances of the majority, who, finding that their entreaties had no
+effect, wept aloud, and followed them with a determination, I am sure, of
+sharing their fate, whatever it might have been. As soon as they landed,
+M'Leay and I retired to a little distance from the bank, and sat down;
+that being the usual way among the natives of the interior, to invite to
+an interview. When they saw us act thus, they approached, and sat down by
+us, but without looking up, from a kind of diffidence peculiar to them,
+and which exists even among the nearest relatives, as I have already had
+occasion to observe. As they gained confidence, however, they showed an
+excessive curiosity, and stared at us in the most earnest manner. We now
+led them to the camp, and I gave, as was my custom, the first who had
+approached, a tomahawk; and to the others, some pieces of iron hoop. Those
+who had crossed the river amounted to about thirty-five in number.
+At sunset, the majority of them left us; but three old men remained at
+the fire-side all night. I observed that few of them had either lost their
+front teeth or lacerated their bodies, as the more westerly tribes do. The
+most loathsome diseases prevailed among them. Several were disabled by
+leprosy, or some similar disorder, and two or three had entirely lost
+their sight. They are, undoubtedly, a brave and a confiding people, and
+are by no means wanting in natural affection. In person, they resemble the
+mountain tribes. They had the thick lip, the sunken eye, the extended
+nostril, and long beards, and both smooth and curly hair are common among
+them. Their lower extremities appear to bear no proportion to their bust
+in point of muscular strength; but the facility with which they ascend
+trees of the largest growth, and the activity with which they move upon
+all occasions, together with their singularly erect stature, argue that
+such appearance is entirely deceptive.
+
+INTERCOURSE WITH NATIVES.
+
+The old men slept very soundly by the fire, and were the last to get up in
+the morning. M'Leay's extreme good humour had made a most favourable
+impression upon them, and I can picture him, even now, joining in their
+wild song. Whether it was from his entering so readily into their mirth,
+or from anything peculiar that struck them, the impression upon the whole
+of us was, that they took him to have been originally a black, in
+consequence of which they gave him the name of Rundi. Certain it is, they
+pressed him to show his side, and asked if he had not received a wound
+there--evidently as if the original Rundi had met with a violent death
+from a spear-wound in that place. The whole tribe, amounting in number to
+upwards of 150, assembled to see us take our departure. Four of them
+accompanied us, among whom there was one remarkable for personal strength
+and stature.--The 21st passed without our falling in with any new tribe,
+and the night of the 22nd, saw us still wandering in that lonely desert
+together. There was something unusual in our going through such an extent
+of country without meeting another tribe, but our companions appeared to
+be perfectly aware of the absence of inhabitants, as they never left
+our side.
+
+Although the banks of the river had been of general equality of height,
+sandy elevations still occasionally formed a part of them, and their
+summits were considerably higher than the alluvial flats.
+
+RAPID IN THE RIVER--DANGEROUS DESCENT OF THE BOATS.
+
+It was upon the crest of one of these steep and lofty banks, that on the
+morning of the 22nd, the natives who were a-head of the boat, suddenly
+stopped to watch our proceedings down a foaming rapid that ran beneath.
+We were not aware of the danger to which we were approaching, until we
+turned an angle of the river, and found ourselves too near to retreat.
+In such a moment, without knowing what was before them, the coolness of
+the men was strikingly exemplified. No one even spoke after they became
+aware that silence was necessary. The natives (probably anticipating
+misfortune) stood leaning upon their spears upon the lofty bank above us.
+Desiring the men not to move from their seats, I stood up to survey the
+channel, and to steer the boat to that part of it which was least impeded
+by rocks. I was obliged to decide upon a hasty survey, as we were already
+at the head of the rapid. It appeared to me that there were two passages,
+the one down the centre of the river, the other immediately under its
+right bank. A considerable rock stood directly in own way to the latter,
+so that I had no alternative but to descend the former. About forty yards
+below the rock, I noticed that a line of rocks occupied the space between
+the two channels, whilst a reef, projecting from the left bank, made the
+central passage distinctly visible, and the rapidity of the current
+proportionably great. I entertained hopes that the passage was clear, and
+that we should shoot down it without interruption; but in this I was
+disappointed. The boat struck with the fore-part of her keel on a sunken
+rock, and, swinging round as it were on a pivot, presented her bow to the
+rapid, while the skiff floated away into the strength of it. We had every
+reason to anticipate the loss of our whale-boat, whose build was so light,
+that had her side struck the rock, instead of her keel, she would have
+been laid open from stem to stern. As it was, however, she remained fixed
+in her position, and it only remained for us to get her off the best way
+we could. I saw that this could only be done by sending two of the men
+with a rope to the upper rock, and getting the boat, by that means, into
+the still water, between that and the lower one. We should then have time
+to examine the channels, and to decide as to that down which it would be
+safest to proceed. My only fear was, that the loss of the weight of the
+two men would lighten the boat so much, that she would be precipitated
+down the rapid without my having any command over her; but it happened
+otherwise. We succeeded in getting her into the still water, and
+ultimately took her down the channel under the right bank, without her
+sustaining any injury. A few miles below this rapid the river took a
+singular bend, and we found, after pulling several miles, that we were
+within a stone's throw of a part of the stream we had already
+sailed down.
+
+The four natives joined us in the camp, and assisted the men at their
+various occupations. The consequence was, that they were treated with more
+than ordinary kindness; and Fraser, for his part, in order to gratify
+these favoured guests, made great havoc among the feathered race. He
+returned after a short ramble with a variety of game, among which were a
+crow, a kite, and a laughing jackass (alcedo gigantea,) a species of
+king's-fisher, a singular bird, found in every part of Australia. Its cry,
+which resembles a chorus of wild spirits, is apt to startle the traveller
+who may be in jeopardy, as if laughing and mocking at his misfortune.
+It is a harmless bird, and I seldom allowed them to be destroyed, as they
+were sure to rouse us with the earliest dawn. To this list of Fraser's
+spoils, a duck and a tough old cockatoo, must be added. The whole of these
+our friends threw on the fire without the delay of plucking, and snatched
+them from that consuming element ere they were well singed, and devoured
+them with uncommon relish.
+
+DESERTED NATIVE VILLAGE.
+
+We pitched our tents upon a flat of good and tenacious soil. A brush, in
+which there was a new species of melaleuca, backed it, in the thickest
+part of which we found a deserted native village. The spot was evidently
+chosen for shelter. The huts were large and long, all facing the same
+point of the compass, and in every way resembling the huts occupied by the
+natives of the Darling. Large flocks of whistling ducks, and other wild
+fowl, flew over our heads to the N.W., as if making their way to some
+large or favourite waters. My observations placed us in lat. 34 degrees
+8 minutes 15 seconds south, and in east long. 141 degrees 9 minutes
+42 seconds or nearly so; and I was at a loss to conceive what direction
+the river would ultimately take. We were considerably to the N.W. of the
+point at which we had entered it, and in referring to the chart, it
+appeared, that if the Darling had kept a S.W. course from where the last
+expedition left its banks, we ought ere this to have struck upon it,
+or have arrived at its junction with the stream on which we were
+journeying.
+
+CONVERSING BY SIGNS.
+
+The natives, in attempting to answer my interrogatories, only perplexed
+me more and more. They evidently wished to explain something, by placing a
+number of sticks across each other as a kind of diagram of the country. It
+was, however, impossible to arrive at their meaning. They undoubtedly
+pointed to the westward, or rather to the south of that point, as the
+future course of the river; but there was something more that they were
+anxious to explain, which I could not comprehend. The poor fellows seemed
+quite disappointed, and endeavoured to beat it into Fraser's head with as
+little success. I then desired Macnamee to get up into a tree. From the
+upper branches of it he said he could see hills; but his account of their
+appearance was such that I doubted his story: nevertheless it might have
+been correct. He certainly called our attention to a large fire, as if the
+country to the N.W. was in flames, so that it appeared we were approaching
+the haunts of the natives at last.
+
+It happened that Fraser and Harris were for guard, and they sat up
+laughing and talking with the natives long after we retired to rest.
+Fraser, to beguile the hours, proposed shaving his sable companions, and
+performed that operation with admirable dexterity upon their chief, to his
+great delight. I got up at an early hour, and found to my surprise that
+the whole of them had deserted us. Harris told me they had risen from the
+fire about an hour before, and had crossed the river. I was a little
+angry, but supposed they were aware that we were near some tribe, and had
+gone on a-head to prepare and collect them.
+
+LARGE CONCOURSE OF NATIVES--THEIR HOSTILE DEMEANOUR.
+
+After breakfast, we proceeded onwards as usual. The river had increased so
+much in width that, the wind being fair, I hoisted sail for the first
+time, to save the strength of my men as much as possible. Our progress was
+consequently rapid. We passed through a country that, from the nature of
+its soil and other circumstances, appeared to be intersected by creeks and
+lagoons. Vast flights of wild fowl passed over us, but always at a
+considerable elevation, while, on the other hand, the paucity of ducks on
+the river excited our surprise. Latterly, the trees upon the river, and in
+its neighbourhood, had been a tortuous kind of box. The flooded-gum grew
+in groups on the spaces subject to inundation, but not on the levels above
+the influence of any ordinary rise of the stream. Still they were much
+smaller than they were observed to be in the higher branches of the river.
+We had proceeded about nine miles, when we were surprised by the
+appearance in view, at the termination of a reach, of a long line of
+magnificent trees of green and dense foliage. As we sailed down the reach,
+we observed a vast concourse of natives under them, and, on a nearer
+approach, we not only heard their war-song, if it might so be called, but
+remarked that they were painted and armed, as they generally are, prior
+to their engaging in deadly conflict. Notwithstanding these outward signs
+of hostility, fancying that our four friends were with them, I continued
+to steer directly in for the bank on which they were collected. I found,
+however, when it was almost too late to turn into the succeeding reach
+to our left, that an attempt to land would only be attended with loss of
+life. The natives seemed determined to resist it. We approached so near
+that they held their spears quivering in their grasp ready to hurl. They
+were painted in various ways. Some who had marked their ribs, and thighs,
+and faces with a white pigment, looked like skeletons, others were daubed
+over with red and yellow ochre, and their bodies shone with the grease
+with which they had besmeared themselves. A dead silence prevailed among
+the front ranks, but those in the back ground, as well as the women, who
+carried supplies of darts, and who appeared to have had a bucket of
+whitewash capsized over their heads, were extremely clamorous. As I did
+not wish a conflict with these people, I lowered my sail, and putting the
+helm to starboard, we passed quietly down the stream in mid channel.
+Disappointed in their anticipations, the natives ran along the bank of the
+river, endeavouring to secure an aim at us; but, unable to throw with
+certainty, in consequence of the onward motion of the boat, they flung
+themselves into the most extravagant attitudes, and worked themselves into
+a state of frenzy by loud and vehement shouting.
+
+PREPARATIONS FOR CONFLICT--UNEXPECTED INTERFERENCE.
+
+It was with considerable apprehension that I observed the river to be
+shoaling fast, more especially as a huge sand-bank, a little below us, and
+on the same side on which the natives had gathered, projected nearly a
+third-way across the channel. To this sand-bank they ran with tumultuous
+uproar, and covered it over in a dense mass. Some of the chiefs advanced
+to the water to be nearer their victims, and turned from time to time to
+direct their followers. With every pacific disposition, and an extreme
+reluctance to take away life, I foresaw that it would be impossible any
+longer to avoid an engagement, yet with such fearful numbers against us,
+I was doubtful of the result. The spectacle we had witnessed had been one
+of the most appalling kind, and sufficient to shake the firmness of most
+men; but at that trying moment my little band preserved their temper
+coolness, and if any thing could be gleaned from their countenances, it
+was that they had determined on an obstinate resistance. I now explained
+to them that their only chance of escape depended, or would depend, on
+their firmness. I desired that after the first volley had been fired,
+M'Leay and three of the men, would attend to the defence of the boat with
+bayonets only, while I, Hopkinson, and Harris, would keep up the fire as
+being more used to it. I ordered, however, that no shot was to be fired
+until after I had discharged both my barrels. I then delivered their arms
+to the men, which had as yet been kept in the place appropriated for them,
+and at the same time some rounds of loose cartridge. The men assured me
+they would follow my instructions, and thus prepared, having already
+lowered the sail, we drifted onwards with the current. As we neared the
+sand-bank, I stood up and made signs to the natives to desist;
+but without success. I took up my gun, therefore, and cocking it,
+had already brought it down to a level. A few seconds more would
+have closed the life of the nearest of the savages. The distance
+was too trifling for me to doubt the fatal effects of the discharge;
+for I was determined to take deadly aim, in hopes that the fall of
+one man might save the lives of many. But at the very moment, when
+my hand was on the trigger, and my eye was along the barrel, my
+purpose was checked by M'Leay, who called to me that another party of
+blacks had made their appearance upon the left bank of the river. Turning
+round, I observed four men at the top of their speed. The foremost of
+them as soon as he got a-head of the boat, threw himself from a
+considerable height into the water. He struggled across the channel to the
+sand-bank, and in an incredibly short space of time stood in front of the
+savage, against whom my aim had been directed. Seizing him by the throat,
+he pushed backwards, and forcing all who were in the water upon the bank,
+he trod its margin with a vehemence and an agitation that were exceedingly
+striking. At one moment pointing to the boat, at another shaking his
+clenched hand in the faces of the most forward, and stamping with passion
+on the sand; his voice, that was at first distinct and clear, was lost in
+hoarse murmurs. Two of the four natives remained on the left bank of the
+river, but the third followed his leader, (who proved to be the remarkable
+savage I have previously noticed) to the scene of action. The reader will
+imagine our feelings on this occasion: it is impossible to describe them.
+We were so wholly lost in interest at the scene that was passing, that the
+boat was allowed to drift at pleasure. For my own part I was overwhelmed
+with astonishment, and in truth stunned and confused; so singular, so
+unexpected, and so strikingly providential, had been our escape.
+
+JUNCTION OF ANOTHER STREAM--PROVIDENTIAL DELIVERANCE FROM DANGER.
+
+We were again roused to action by the boat suddenly striking upon a shoal,
+which reached from one side of the river to the other. To jump out and
+push her into deeper water was but the work of a moment with the men, and
+it was just as she floated again that our attention was withdrawn to a new
+and beautiful stream, coming apparently from the north. The great body of
+the natives having posted themselves on the narrow tongue of land formed
+by the two rivers, the bold savage who had so unhesitatingly interfered
+on our account, was still in hot dispute with them, and I really feared
+his generous warmth would have brought down upon him the vengeance of the
+tribes. I hesitated, therefore, whether or not to go to his assistance.
+It appeared, however, both to M'Leay and myself, that the tone of the
+natives had moderated, and the old and young men having listened to the
+remonstrances of our friend, the middle-aged warriors were alone holding
+out against him. A party of about seventy blacks were upon the right bank
+of the newly discovered river, and I thought that by landing among them,
+we should make a diversion in favour of our late guest; and in this I
+succeeded. If even they had still meditated violence, they would have to
+swim a good broad junction, and that, probably, would cool them, or we
+at least should have the advantage of position. I therefore, ran the boat
+ashore, and landed with M'Leay amidst the smaller party of natives, wholly
+unarmed, and having directed the men to keep at a little distance from the
+bank. Fortunately, what I anticipated was brought about by the stratagem
+to which I had had recourse. The blacks no sooner observed that we had
+landed, than curiosity took place of anger. All wrangling ceased, and they
+came swimming over to us like a parcel of seals. Thus, in less than a
+quarter of an hour from the moment when it appeared that all human
+intervention was at on end, and we were on the point of commencing a
+bloody fray, which, independently of its own disastrous consequences,
+would have blasted the success of the expedition, we were peacefully
+surrounded by the hundreds who had so lately threatened us with
+destruction; nor was it until after we had returned to the boat, and had
+surveyed the multitude upon the sloping bank above us, that we became
+fully aware of the extent of our danger, and of the almost miraculous
+intervention of Providence in our favour. There could not have been less
+than six hundred natives upon that blackened sward. But this was not the
+only occasion upon which the merciful superintendance of that Providence
+to which we had humbly committed ourselves, was strikingly manifested.
+If these pages fail to convey entertainment or information, sufficient may
+at least be gleaned from them to furnish matter for serious reflection;
+but to those who have been placed in situations of danger where human
+ingenuity availed them not, and where human foresight was baffled, I feel
+persuaded that these remarks are unnecessary.
+
+NEW RIVER, SUPPOSED TO BE THE DARLING.
+
+It was my first care to call for our friend, and to express to him, as
+well as I could, how much we stood indebted to him, at the same time that
+I made him a suitable present; but to the chiefs of the tribes,
+I positively refused all gifts, notwithstanding their earnest
+solicitations. We next prepared to examine the new river, and turning the
+boat's head towards it, endeavoured to pull up the stream. Our larboard
+oars touched the right bank, and the current was too strong for us to
+conquer it with a pair only; we were, therefore, obliged to put a second
+upon her, a movement that excited the astonishment and admiration of the
+natives. One old woman seemed in absolute ecstasy, to whom M'Leay threw an
+old tin kettle, in recompense for the amusement she afforded us.
+
+HOIST THE UNION JACK.
+
+As soon as we got above the entrance of the new river, we found easier
+pulling, and proceeded up it for some miles, accompanied by the once more
+noisy multitude. The river preserved a breadth of one hundred yards, and a
+depth of rather more than twelve feet. Its banks were sloping and grassy,
+and were overhung by trees of magnificent size. Indeed, its appearance was
+so different from the water-worn banks of the sister stream, that the men
+exclaimed, on entering it, that we had got into an English river. Its
+appearance certainly almost justified the expression; for the greenness of
+its banks was as new to us as the size of its timber. Its waters, though
+sweet, were turbid, and had a taste of vegetable decay, as well as a
+slight tinge of green. Our progress was watched by the natives with
+evident anxiety. They kept abreast of us, and talked incessantly.
+At length, however, our course was checked by a net that stretched right
+across the stream. I say checked, because it would have been unfair to
+have passed over it with the chance of disappointing the numbers who
+apparently depended on it for subsistence that day. The moment was one of
+intense interest to me. As the men rested upon their oars, awaiting my
+further orders, a crowd of thoughts rushed upon me. The various
+conjectures I had formed of the course and importance of the Darling
+passed across my mind. Were they indeed realized? An irresistible
+conviction impressed me that we were now sailing on the bosom of that very
+stream from whose banks I had been twice forced to retire. I directed the
+Union Jack to be hoisted, and giving way to our satisfaction, we all stood
+up in the boat, and gave three distinct cheers. It was an English feeling,
+an ebullition, an overflow, which I am ready to admit that our
+circumstances and situation will alone excuse. The eye of every native had
+been fixed upon that noble flag, at all times a beautiful object, and to
+them a novel one, as it waved over us in the heart of a desert. They had,
+until that moment been particularly loquacious, but the sight of that flag
+and the sound of our voices hushed the tumult, and while they were still
+lost in astonishment, the boat's head was speedily turned, the sail was
+sheeted home, both wind and current were in our favour, and we vanished
+from them with a rapidity that surprised even ourselves, and which
+precluded every hope of the most adventurous among them to keep up
+with us.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+
+
+Character of the country--Damage of provisions--Adroitness of the natives
+in catching fish--The skiff broken up--Stream from the North-East supposed
+to be the Darling--Change of country in descending the river--Intercourse
+with the natives--Prevalence of loathsome diseases among them--Apparent
+populousness of the country--Junction of several small streams--The Rufus,
+the Lindesay, &c.--Rainy and tempestuous weather--Curious appearance of
+the banks--Troublesomeness of the natives--Inhospitable and desolate
+aspect of the country--Condition of the men--Change in the geological
+character of the country--The river passes through a valley among hills.
+
+
+Arrived once more at the junction of the two rivers, and unmolested in our
+occupations, we had leisure to examine it more closely. Not having as yet
+given a name to our first discovery, when we re-entered its capacious
+channel on this occasion, I laid it down as the Murray River, in
+compliment to the distinguished officer, Sir George Murray, who then
+presided over the colonial department, not only in compliance with the
+known wishes of his Excellency General Darling, but also in accordance
+with my own feelings as a soldier.
+
+The new river, whether the Darling or an additional discovery, meets its
+more southern rival on a N. by E. course; the latter, running W.S.W. at
+the confluence, the angle formed by the two rivers, is, therefore, so
+small that both may he considered to preserve their proper course, and
+neither can be said to be tributary to the other. At their junction,
+the Murray spreads its waters over the broad and sandy shore, upon which
+our boat grounded, while its more impetuous neighbour flows through the
+deep but narrow channel it has worked out for itself, under the right
+bank. The strength of their currents must have been nearly equal, since
+there was as distinct a line between their respective waters, to a
+considerable distance below the junction, as if a thin board alone
+separated them. The one half the channel contained the turbid waters of
+the northern stream, the other still preserved their original
+transparency.
+
+INUNDATED AND ALLUVIAL COUNTRY.
+
+The banks of the Murray did not undergo any immediate change as we
+proceeded. We noticed that the country had, at some time, been subject to
+extensive inundation, and was, beyond doubt, of alluvial formation. We
+passed the mouths of several large creeks that came from the north and
+N.W., and the country in those directions seemed to be much intersected by
+water-courses; while to the south it was extremely low. Having descended
+several minor rapids, I greatly regretted that we had no barometer to
+ascertain the actual dip of the interior. I computed, however, that we
+were not more than from eighty to ninety feet above the level of the sea.
+We found the channel of the Murray much encumbered with timber, and
+noticed some banks of sand that were of unusual size, and equalled the
+largest accumulations of it on the sea shore, both in extent and solidity.
+
+STATE OF PROVISIONS.
+
+We would gladly have fired into the flights of wild fowl that winged their
+way over us, for we, about this time, began to feel the consequences of
+the disaster that befell us in the Morumbidgee. The fresh water having got
+mixed with the brine in the meat casks, the greater part of our salt
+provisions had got spoiled, so that we were obliged to be extremely
+economical in the expenditure of what remained, as we knew not to what
+straits we might be driven. It will naturally be asked why we did not
+procure fish? The answer is easy. The men had caught many in the
+Morumbidgee, and on our first navigation of the Murray, but whether it was
+that they had disagreed with them, or that their appetites were palled, or
+that they were too fatigued after the labour of the day to set the lines,
+they did not appear to care about them. The only fish we could take was
+the common cod or perch; and, without sauce or butter, it is insipid
+enough. We occasionally exchanged pieces of iron-hoop for two other kinds
+of fish, the one a bream, the other a barbel, with the natives, and the
+eagerness with which they met our advances to barter, is a strong proof of
+their natural disposition towards this first step in civilization.
+
+DEXTERITY OF NATIVES IN FISHING.
+
+As they threw off all reserve when accompanying us as ambassadors, we had
+frequent opportunities of observing their habits. The facility, for
+instance, with which they procured fish was really surprising. They would
+slip, feet foremost, into the water as they walked along the bank of the
+river, as if they had accidentally done so, but, in reality, to avoid the
+splash they would necessarily have made if they had plunged in head
+foremost. As surely as they then disappeared under the surface of the
+water, so surely would they re-appear with a fish writhing upon the point
+of their short spears. The very otter scarcely exceeds them in power over
+the finny race, and so true is the aim of these savages, even under water,
+that all the fish we procured from them were pierced either close behind
+the lateral fin, or in the very centre of the head, It is certain, from
+their indifference to them, that the natives seldom eat fish when they can
+get anything else. Indeed, they seemed more anxious to take the small
+turtle, which, sunning themselves on the trunks or logs of trees over the
+water, were, nevertheless, extremely on their guard. A gentle splash alone
+indicated to us that any thing had dropped into the water, but the quick
+eyes and ears of our guides immediately detected what had occasioned it,
+and they seldom failed to take the poor little animal that had so vainly
+trusted to its own watchfulness for security. It appeared that the natives
+did not, from choice, frequent the Murray; it was evident, therefore, that
+they had other and better means of subsistence away from it, and it struck
+me, at the time, that the river we had just passed watered a better
+country than any through which the Murray had been found to flow.
+
+BREAK UP THE SKIFF.
+
+We encamped rather earlier than usual upon the left bank of the river,
+near a broad creek; for as the skiff had been a great drag upon us, I
+determined on breaking it up, since there was no probability that we
+should ever require the still, which alone remained in her. We,
+consequently, burnt the former, to secure her nails and iron work, and I
+set Clayton about cutting the copper of the latter into the shape of
+crescents, in order to present them to the natives. Some large huts were
+observed on the side of the creek, a little above the camp, the whole of
+which faced the N.E. This arrangement had previously been noticed by us,
+so that I was led to infer that the severest weather comes from the
+opposite quarter in this part of the interior. I had not the least idea,
+at the time, however, that we should, ere we reached the termination of
+our journey, experience the effects of the S.W. winds.
+
+We must have fallen considerably during the day from the level of our
+morning's position, for we passed down many reaches where the decline of
+country gave an increased velocity to the current of the river.
+
+I had feared, not only in consequence of the unceremonious manner in
+which we had left them, but, because I had, in some measure, rejected the
+advances of their chiefs, that none of the natives would follow us, and I
+regretted the circumstance on account of my men, as well as the trouble we
+should necessarily have in conciliating the next tribe. We had not,
+however, been long encamped, when seven blacks joined us. I think they
+would have passed on if we had not called to them. As it was, they
+remained with us but for a short time. We treated them very kindly, but
+they were evidently under constraint, and were, no doubt, glad when they
+found we did not object to their departing.
+
+NEW RIVER IDENTIFIED WITH THE DARLING.
+
+I have stated, that I felt satisfied in my own mind, that the beautiful
+stream we had passed was no other than the river Darling of my former
+journey. The bare assertion, however, is not sufficient to satisfy the
+mind of the reader, upon a point of such importance, more especially when
+it is considered how remarkable a change the Darling must have undergone,
+if this were indeed a continuation of it. I am free to confess that it
+required an effort to convince myself, but after due consideration, I see
+no reason to alter the opinion I formed at a moment of peculiar
+embarrassment. Yet it by no means follows that I shall convince others,
+although I am myself convinced. The question is one of curious
+speculation, and the consideration of it will lead us to an interesting
+conjecture, as to the probable nature of the distant interior, between the
+two points. It will be remembered that I was obliged to relinquish my
+pursuit of the Darling, in east long. 144 degrees 48 minutes 30 seconds
+in lat. 30 degrees 17 minutes 30 seconds south. I place the junction of
+the Murray and the new river, in long. 140 degrees 56 minutes east, and in
+south lat. 34 degrees 3 minutes. I must remark, however, that the lunars I
+took on this last occasion, were not satisfactory, and that there is,
+probably, an error, though not a material one, in the calculation. Before
+I measure the distance between the above points, or make any remarks on
+the results of my own observations, I would impress the following facts
+upon the reader's mind.
+
+I found and left the Darling in a complete state of exhaustion. As a river
+it had ceased to flow; the only supply it received was from brine
+springs, which, without imparting a current, rendered its waters saline
+and useless, and lastly, the fish in it were different from those
+inhabiting the other known rivers of the interior. It is true, I did not
+procure a perfect specimen of one, but we satisfactorily ascertained that
+they were different, inasmuch as they had large and strong scales, whereas
+the fish in the western waters have smooth skins. On the other hand, the
+waters of the new river were sweet, although turbid; it had a rapid
+current in it; and its fish were of the ordinary kind. In the above
+particulars, therefore, they differed much as they could well differ. Yet
+there were some strong points of resemblance in the appearance of the
+rivers themselves, which were more evident to me than I can hope to make
+them to the reader. Both were shaded by trees of the same magnificent
+dimensions; and the same kind of huts were erected on the banks of each,
+inhabited by the same description, or race, of people, whose weapons,
+whose implements, and whose nets corresponded in most respects.
+
+We will now cast our eyes over the chart: and see if the position of the
+two rivers upon it, will at all bear out our conclusion that they are one
+and the same; and whether the line that would join them is the one that
+the Darling would naturally take, in reference to its previous
+course.--We shall find that the two points under discussion, bear almost
+N.E. and S.W. of each other respectively, the direct line in which the
+Darling had been ascertained to flow, as far as it had been found
+practicable to trace it. I have already remarked that the fracture of my
+barometer prevented my ascertaining the height of the bed of the Darling
+above the sea, during the first expedition. A similar accident caused me
+equal disappointment on the second; because one of the most important
+points upon which I was engaged was to ascertain the dip of the interior.
+I believe I stated, in its proper place, that I did not think the Darling
+could possibly be 200 feet above the sea, and as far as my observations
+bear me out, I should estimate the bed of the Murray, at its junction with
+the new river, to be within 100. It would appear that there is a distance
+of 300 miles between the Murray River at this place, and the Darling;
+a space amply sufficient for the intervention of a hilly country. No one
+could have been more attentive to the features of the interior than I was;
+nor could any one have dwelt upon their peculiarities with more earnest
+attention. It were hazardous to build up any new theory, however ingenious
+it may appear. The conclusions into which I have been led, are founded on
+actual observation of the country through which I passed, and extend not
+beyond my actual range of vision; unless my assuming that the decline of
+the interior to the south has been satisfactorily established, be
+considered premature. If not, the features of the country certainly
+justify my deductions; and it will be found that they were still more
+confirmed by subsequent observation.--That the Darling should have lost
+its current in its upper branches, is not surprising, when the level
+nature of the country into which it falls is taken into consideration;
+neither does it surprise me that it should be stationary in one place,
+and flowing in another; since, if, as in the present instance, there is a
+great extent of country between the two points, which may perhaps be of
+considerable elevation, the river may receive tributaries, whose waters
+will of course follow the general decline of the country. I take it to be
+so in the case before us; and am of opinion, that the lower branches of
+the Darling are not at all dependent on its sources for a current, or for
+a supply of water. I have somewhere observed that it appeared to me the
+depressed interior over which I had already travelled, was of
+comparatively recent formation. And, by whatever convulsion or change
+so extensive a tract became exposed, I cannot but infer, that the Darling
+is the main channel by which the last waters of the ocean were drained
+off. The bottom of the estuary, for it cannot be called a valley, being
+then left exposed, it consequently remains the natural and proper
+reservoir for the streams from the eastward, or those falling easterly
+from the westward, if any such remain to be discovered.
+
+From the junction of the Morumbidgee to the junction of the new river, the
+Murray had held a W.N.W. course. From the last junction it changed its
+direction to the S.W., and increased considerably in size. The country to
+the south was certainly lower than that to the north; for, although both
+banks had features common to each other, the flooded spaces were much
+more extensive to our left than to our right.
+
+CHANGE OF COUNTRY.
+
+We started on the morning of the 24th, all the lighter from having got rid
+of the skiff, and certainly freer to act in case the natives should evince
+a hostile disposition towards us. As we proceeded down the river, the
+appearances around us more and more plainly indicated a change of country.
+Cypresses were observed in the distance, and the ground on which they
+stood was higher than that near the stream; as if it had again acquired
+its secondary banks. At length these heights approached the river so
+nearly as to form a part of its banks, and to separate one alluvial flat
+from another. Their summits were perfectly level; their soil was a red
+sandy loam; and their productions, for the most part, salsolae and
+misembrianthemum. From this it would appear that we had passed through a
+second region, that must at some time have been under water, and that
+still retained all the marks of a country partially subject to flood.
+
+INTRODUCED FROM TRIBE TO TRIBE.
+
+We had, as I have said, passed over this region, and were again hemmed in
+by those sandy and sterile tracts upon which the beasts of the field could
+obtain neither food nor water. We overtook the seven deputies some time
+after we started, but soon lost sight of them again, as they cut off the
+sweeps of the river, and shortened their journey as much as possible.
+At 2 p.m. we found them with a tribe of their countrymen, about eighty in
+number. We pulled in to the bank and remained with them for a short time,
+and I now determined to convince the blacks who had preceded us, that I
+had not been actuated by any other desire than that of showing to them
+that we were not to be intimidated by numbers, when I refused to make them
+any presents after their show of hostility. I now, therefore, gave them
+several implements, sundry pieces of iron hoop, and an ornamental badge of
+copper. When we left the tribe, we were regularly handed over to their
+care. The seven men who had introduced us, went back at the same time that
+we continued our journey, and two more belonging to the new tribe, went on
+a-head to prepare the the neighbouring tribe to receive us; nor did we see
+anything more of them during the day.
+
+We encamped on the left bank of the river, amidst a polygonum scrub, in
+which we found a number of the crested pigeon. It was late before the
+tents were pitched: as Fraser seldom assisted in that operation, but
+strolled out with his gun after he had kindled a fire, so on this occasion
+he wandered from the camp in search of novelty, and on his return,
+informed me that there was a considerable ridge to the south of a plain
+upon which he had been.
+
+I had myself walked out to the S.E., and on ascending a few feet above the
+level of the camp, got into a scrub. I was walking quietly through it,
+when I heard a rustling noise, and looking in the direction whence it
+proceeded, I observed a small kangaroo approaching me. Having a stick in
+my hand, and being aware that I was in one of their paths, I stood still
+until the animal came close up to me, without apparently being aware of my
+presence. I then gave it a blow an the side of the head, and made it reel
+to one side, but the stick, being rotten, broke with the force of the
+blow, and thus disappointed me of a good meal.
+
+During my absence from the camp, a flight of cockatoos, new to us, but
+similar to one that Mr. Hume shot on the Darling, passed over the tents,
+and I found M'Leay, with his usual anxiety, trying to get a shot at them.
+They had, he told me, descended to water, but they had chosen a spot so
+difficult of approach without discovery, that he had found it impossible
+to get within shot of them.
+
+RIDGE TO THE SOUTH-EAST.
+
+There was a considerable rapid just below our position, which I examined
+before dark. Not seeing any danger, I requested M'Leay to proceed down it
+in the boat as soon as he had breakfasted, and to wait for me at the
+bottom of it. As I wished to ascertain the nature and height of the
+elevations which Fraser had magnified into something grand, Fraser and I
+proceeded to the centre of a large plain, stretching from the left bank of
+the river to the southward. It was bounded to the S.E. by a low scrub;
+to the S. a thickly wooded ridge appeared to break the level of the
+country. It extended from east to west for four or five miles, and then
+gradually declined. At its termination, the country seemed to dip, and a
+dense fog, as from an extensive sheet of water, enveloped the landscape.
+The plain was crowded with cockatoos, that were making their morning's
+repast on the berries of the salsolae and rhagodia, with which it was
+covered.
+
+DISTANT RANGES SEEN.
+
+M'Leay had got safely down the rapid, so that as soon as I joined him,
+we proceeded on our journey. We fell in with the tribe we had already
+seen, but increased in numbers, and we had hardly left them, when we found
+another tribe most anxiously awaiting our arrival. We stayed with the last
+for some time, and exhausted our vocabulary, and exerted our ingenuity to
+gain some information from them. I directed Hopkinson to pile up some
+clay, to enquire if we were near any hills, when two or three of the
+blacks caught the meaning, and pointed to the N.W. Mulholland climbed up a
+tree in consequence of this, and reported to me that he saw lofty ranges
+in the direction to which the blacks pointed; that there were two
+apparently, the one stretching to the N.E., the other to the N.W. He
+stated their distance to be about forty miles, and added that he thought
+he could observe other ranges, through the gap, which, according to the
+alignment of two sticks, that I placed according to Mulholland's
+directions, bore S. 130 W.
+
+We had landed upon the right bank of the river, and there was a large
+lagoon immediately behind us. The current in the river did not run so
+strong as it had been. Its banks were much lower, and were generally
+covered with reeds. The spaces subject to flood were broader than
+heretofore, and the country for more than twenty miles was extremely
+depressed. Our view from the highest ground near the camp was very
+confined, since we were apparently in a hollow, and were unable to obtain
+a second sight of the ranges we had noticed.
+
+PASS THREE CREEKS.
+
+Three creeks fell into the Murray hereabouts. One from the north, another
+from the N.E., and the third from the south. The two first were almost
+choked up with the trunks of trees, but the last had a clear channel.
+Our tents stood on ground high above the reach of flood. The soil was
+excellent, and the brushes behind us abounded with a new species of
+melaleuca.
+
+The heat of the weather, at this time, was extremely oppressive, and the
+thermometer was seldom under 100 degrees of Fahr. at noon. The wind, too,
+we observed, seldom remained stationary for any length of time, but made
+its regular changes every twenty-four hours. In the morning, it invariably
+blew from the N.E., at noon it shifted to N.W., and as the sun set it flew
+round to the eastward of south. A few dense clouds passed over us
+occasionally, but no rain fell from them.
+
+DISEASES OF THE NATIVES.
+
+Our intercourse with the natives had now been constant. We had found the
+interior more populous than we had any reason to expect; yet as we
+advanced into it, the population appeared to increase. It was impossible
+for us to judge of the disposition of the natives during the short
+interviews we generally had with them, and our motions were so rapid that
+we did not give them time to form any concerted plan of attack, had they
+been inclined to attack us. They did not, however, show any disposition to
+hostility, but, considering all things, were quiet and orderly, nor did
+any instances of theft occur, or, at least, none fell under my notice.
+The most loathsome of diseases prevailed throughout the tribes, nor were
+the youngest infants exempt from them. Indeed, so young were some, whose
+condition was truly disgusting, that I cannot but suppose they must have
+been born in a state of disease; but I am uncertain whether it is fatal or
+not in its results, though, most probably it hurries many to a premature
+grave. How these diseases originated it is impossible to say. Certainly
+not from the colony, since the midland tribes alone were infected.
+Syphilis raged amongst them with fearful violence; many had lost their
+noses, and all the glandular parts were considerably affected. I
+distributed some Turner's cerate to the women, but left Fraser to
+superintend its application. It could do no good, of course, but it
+convinced the natives we intended well towards them, and, on that account,
+it was politic to give it, setting aside any humane feeling.
+
+POPULOUS DISTRICT.
+
+The country through which we passed on the 28th, was extremely low, full
+of lagoons, and thickly inhabited. No change took place in the river,
+or in the nature and construction of its banks. We succeeded in getting a
+view of the hills we had noticed when with the last tribe, and found that
+they bore from us due north, N. 22 E., and S. 130 W. They looked bare and
+perpendicular, and appeared to be about twenty miles from us. I am very
+uncertain as to the character of these hills, but still think that they
+must have been some of the faces of the bold cliffs that we had frequently
+passed under. From the size and number of the huts, and from the great
+breadth of the foot-paths, we were still further led to conclude that we
+were passing through a very populous district. What the actual number of
+inhabitants was it is impossible to say, but we seldom communicated with
+fewer than 200 daily. They sent ambassadors forward regularly from one
+tribe to another, in order to prepare for our approach, a custom that not
+only saved us an infinity of time, but also great personal risk. Indeed,
+I doubt very much whether we should ever have pushed so far down the
+river, had we not been assisted by the natives themselves. I was
+particularly careful not to do anything that would alarm them, or to
+permit any liberty to be taken with their women. Our reserve in this
+respect seemed to excite their surprise, for they asked sundry questions,
+by signs and expressions, as to whether we had any women, and where they
+were. The whole tribe generally assembled to receive us, and all, without
+exception, were in a complete state of nudity, and really the loathsome
+condition and hideous countenances of the women would, I should imagine,
+have been a complete antidote to the sexual passion. It is to be observed,
+that the women are very inferior in appearance to the men. The latter are,
+generally speaking, a clean-limbed and powerful race, much stouter in the
+bust than below, but withal, active, and, in some respects, intelligent;
+but the women are poor, weak, and emaciated. This, perhaps, is owing to
+their poverty and paucity of food, and to the treatment they receive at
+the hands of the men; but the latter did not show any unkindness towards
+them in our presence.
+
+Although I desired to avoid exciting their alarm, I still made a point of
+showing them the effects of a gunshot, by firing at a kite, or any other
+bird that happened to be near. My dexterity--for I did not trust Fraser,
+who would, ten to one, have missed his mark--was generally exerted, as I
+have said, against a kite or a crow; both of which birds generally
+accompanied the blacks from place to place to pick up the remnants of
+their meals. Yet, I was often surprised at the apparent indifference with
+which the natives not only saw the effect of the shot, but heard the
+report. I have purposely gone into the centre of a large assemblage and
+fired at a bird that has fallen upon their very heads, without causing a
+start or an exclamation, without exciting either their alarm or their
+curiosity.
+
+Whence this callous feeling proceeded, whether from strength of nerve,
+or because they had been informed by our forerunners that we should show
+off before them, I know not, but I certainly expected a very different
+effect from that which my firing generally produced, although I
+occasionally succeeded in scattering them pretty well.
+
+JUNCTION OF THE RUFUS.
+
+About 11 a.m., we arrived at the junction of a small river with the
+Murray, at which a tribe, about 250 in number, had assembled to greet us.
+We landed, therefore, for the double purpose of distributing presents, and
+of examining the junction, which, coming from the north, of course, fell
+into the Murray upon its right bank. Its waters were so extremely muddy,
+and its current so rapid, that it must have been swollen by some late
+rains. Perhaps, it had its sources in the hills we had seen; be that as it
+may, it completely discoloured the waters of the Murray.
+
+We made it a point never to distribute any presents among the natives
+until we had made them all sit, or stand, in a row. Sometimes this was a
+troublesome task, but we generally succeeded in gaining our point; with a
+little exertion of patience. M'Leay was a famous hand at ordering the
+ranks, and would, I am sure, have made a capital drill-sergeant, not less
+on account of his temper than of his perseverance. I called the little
+tributary I have noticed, the Rufus, in honour of my friend M'Leay's red
+head, and I have no doubt, he will understand the feeling that induced me
+to give it such a name.
+
+GEOLOGICAL EXAMINATION.
+
+Not many miles below the Rufus, we passed under a lofty cliff upon the
+same side with it. It is the first elevation of any consequence that
+occurs below the Darling, and not only on that account, but also on
+account of the numerous substances of which it is composed, and the
+singular formation that is near requires to be particularly
+noticed. [See Appendix.] The examination was a task of considerable
+danger, and both Fraser and myself had well nigh been buried under a mass
+of the cliff that became suddenly detached, and, breaking into thousands
+of pieces, went hissing and cracking into the river.
+
+THUNDER STORMS.
+
+The weather about this time was extremely oppressive and close. Thunder
+clouds darkened the sky, but no rain fell. The thermometer was seldom
+below 104 at noon, and its range was very trifling. The wind shifted
+several times during the twenty-four hours; but these changes had no
+effect on the thermometer. It was evident, however, as the sun set on the
+evening of the 26th, that the clouds from which thunder had for the last
+four or five days disturbed the silence of nature around us, would not
+long support their own weight. A little before midnight, it commenced
+raining, and both wind and rain continued to increase in violence until
+about seven in the morning of the 27th; when the weather moderated.
+
+Two or three blacks had accompanied us from the last tribe, and had lain
+down near the fire. As the storm increased, however, they got up, and
+swimming across the river, left us to ourselves. This was a very unusual
+thing, nor can I satisfy myself as to their object, unless it was to get
+into shelter, for these people though they wander naked over the country,
+and are daily in the water, feel the cold and rain very acutely.
+
+Observing the clouds collecting for so many days, I indulged hopes that we
+were near high lands, perhaps mountains; but from the loftiest spots we
+could see nothing but a level and dark horizon. Anxious to gain as correct
+a knowledge of the country as possible we had, in the course of the day,
+ascended a sandy ridge that was about a mile from the river. The view from
+the summit of this ridge promised to be more extensive than any we had of
+late been enabled to obtain; and as far as actual observation went, we
+were not disappointed, although in every other particular, the landscape
+was one of the most unpromising description. To the S. and S.E., the
+country might be said to stretch away in one unbroken plain, for it was so
+generally covered with wood that every inequality was hidden from our
+observation. To the S.W. the river line was marked out by a succession of
+red cliffs, similar to those we had already passed. To the north, the
+interior was evidently depressed; it was overgrown with a low scrub, and
+seemed to be barren in the extreme. The elevations upon which we stood
+were similar to the sand-hills near the coast, and had not a blade of
+grass upon them. Yet, notwithstanding the sterility of the soil, the
+large white amarillis which grew in such profusion on the alluvial plains
+of the Macquarie, was also abundant here. But it had lost its dazzling
+whiteness, and had assumed a sickly yellow colour and its very appearance
+indicated that it was not in a congenial soil.
+
+LINDESAY RIVER.
+
+We passed two very considerable junctions, the one coming from the S.E.,
+the other from the north. Both had currents in them, but the former was
+running much stronger than the latter. It falls into the Murray, almost
+opposite to the elevations I have been describing, and, if a judgment
+can be hazarded from its appearance at its embouchure, it must, in its
+higher branches, be a stream of considerable magnitude. Under this
+impression, I have called it the Lindesay, as a tribute of respect to my
+commanding officer, Colonel Patrick Lindesay of the 39th regt. I place it
+in east long. 140 degrees 29 minutes, and in lat. 33 degrees 58 minutes
+south. Mr. Hume is of opinion that this is the most southerly of the
+rivers crossed by him and Mr. Hovel in 1823; but, as I have already
+remarked, I apprehend that all the rivers those gentlemen crossed, had
+united in one main stream above the junction of the Morumbidgee, and I
+think it much more probable that this is a new river, and that it rises
+to the westward of Port Phillips, rather than in the S.E. angle of the
+coast.
+
+NATIVES BECOME TROUBLESOME.
+
+We found the blacks who had deserted us with a tribe at the junction, but
+it was weak in point of numbers; as were also two other tribes or hordes
+to whom we were introduced in rapid succession. Taken collectively, they
+could not have amounted to 230 men, women, and children. The last of these
+hordes was exceedingly troublesome, and I really thought we should have
+been obliged to quarrel with them. Whether it was that we were getting
+impatient, or that our tempers were soured, I know not, but even M'Leay,
+whose partiality towards the natives was excessive at the commencement of
+our journey, now became weary of such constant communication as we had
+kept up with them. Their sameness of appearance, the disgusting diseases
+that raged among them, their abominable filth, the manner in which they
+pulled us about, and the impossibility of making them understand us, or
+of obtaining any information from them,--for if we could have succeeded
+in this point, we should have gladly borne every inconvenience,--all
+combined to estrange us from these people and to make their presence
+disagreeable. Yet there was an absolute necessity to keep up the chain of
+communication, to ensure our own safety, setting aside every other
+consideration; but as I had been fortunate in my intercourse with the
+natives during the first expedition, so I hoped the present journey would
+terminate without the occurrence of any fatal collision between us. The
+natives, it is true, were generally quiet; but they crowded round us
+frequently without any regard to our remonstrances, laying hold of the
+boat to prevent our going away, and I sometimes thought that had any of
+them been sufficiently bold to set the example, many of the tribes would
+have attempted our capture. Indeed, in several instances, we were obliged
+to resort to blows ere we could disengage ourselves from the crowds around
+us, and whenever this occurred, it called forth the most sullen and
+ferocious scowl--such, probably, as would be the forerunner of hostility,
+and would preclude every hope of mercy at their hands. With each new tribe
+we were, in some measure, obliged to submit to an examination, and to be
+pulled about, and fingered all over. They generally measured our hands and
+feet with their own, counted our fingers, felt our faces, and besmeared
+our shirts all over with grease and dirt. This was no very agreeable
+ceremony, and a repetition of it was quite revolting, more especially when
+we had to meet the grins or frowns of the many with firmness and
+composure.
+
+TEMPESTUOUS WEATHER.
+
+The weather had been tempestuous and rainy, for three or four successive
+days: on the 28th it cleared up a little. Under any circumstances,
+however, we could not have delayed our journey. We had not proceeded very
+far when it again commenced to rain and to blow heavily from the N.W.
+The river trended to the South. We passed down several rapids, and
+observed the marks of recent flood on the trees, to the height of seven
+feet. The alluvial flats did not appear to have been covered, or to be
+subject to overflow. The timber upon them was not of a kind that is found
+on flooded lands, but wherever reeds prevailed the flooded or blue gum
+stretched its long white branches over them. The country to the westward
+was low and bushy.
+
+SINGULAR FORMATION OF THE BANKS.
+
+The left bank of the Murray was extremely lofty, and occasionally rose to
+100 feet perpendicularly from the water. It is really difficult to
+describe the appearance of the banks at this place; so singular were they
+in character, and so varied in form. Here they had the most beautiful
+columnar regularity, with capitals somewhat resembling the Corinthian
+order in configuration; there they showed like falls of muddy water that
+had suddenly been petrified; and in another place they resembled the
+time-worn battlements of a feudal castle. It will naturally be asked, of
+what could these cliffs have been composed to assume so many different
+forms? and what could have operated to produce such unusual appearances?
+The truth is, they were composed almost wholly of clay and sand. Wherever
+the latter had accumulated, or predominated, the gradual working of
+water had washed it away, and left the more compact body, in some places,
+so delicately hollowed out, that it seemed rather the work of art than of
+nature. This singular formation rested on a coarse grit, that showed
+itself in slabs.
+
+From the frequent occurrence of rapids I should imagine that we had fallen
+considerably, but there was no visible decline of country. The river swept
+along, in broad and noble reaches, at the base of the cliffs. Vast
+accumulations of sand were in its bed, a satisfactory proof of the sandy
+character of the distant interior, if other proof were wanting.
+
+We did not see so many natives on the 28th as we had been in the habit of
+seeing; perhaps in consequence of the boisterous weather. A small tribe of
+about sixty had collected to receive us, but we passed on without taking
+any notice of them, Nevertheless they deputed two of their men to follow
+us, who overtook us just as we stopped for the purpose of pitching our
+tents before the clouds should burst, that just then bore the most
+threatening appearance. The blacks seemed to be perfectly aware what kind
+of a night we should have, and busied themselves preparing a hut and
+making a large fire.
+
+The evening proved extremely dark, and towards midnight it blew and rained
+fiercely. Towards morning the wind moderated, and the rain ceased. Still,
+the sky was overcast, and the clouds were passing rapidly over us. The
+wind had, however, changed some points, and from the N.W. had veered round
+to the S.S.W.; and the day eventually turned out cool and pleasant.
+
+LARGE TRIBE OF NATIVES--THEIR INDIFFERENCE TO FIRE-ARMS.
+
+We fell in with a large tribe of natives, amounting in all to 270. They
+were extremely quiet, and kept away from the boat; in consequence of which
+I distributed a great many presents among them. This tribe was almost the
+only one that evinced any eagerness to see us. The lame had managed to
+hobble along, and the blind were equally anxious to touch us. There were
+two or three old men stretched upon the bank, from whom the last sigh
+seemed about to depart; yet these poor creatures evinced an anxiety to see
+us, and to listen to a description of our appearance, although it seemed
+doubtful whether they would be alive twenty-four hours after we left them.
+An old woman, a picture of whom would disgust my readers, made several
+attempts to embrace me. I managed, however, to avoid her, and at length
+got rid of her by handing her over to Fraser, who was no wise particular
+as to the object of his attention. This tribe must have been one of the
+most numerous on the banks of the Murray, since we fell in with detached
+families for many miles below the place where we had parted from the main
+body.
+
+I have omitted to mention that, while among them, I fired at a kite and
+killed it; yet, though close to me, the blacks did not start or evince the
+least surprise. It really is difficult to account for such firmness of
+nerve or self-command. It is not so much a matter of surprise that they
+were indifferent to its effects, for probably they knew them not, but it
+is certainly odd that they should not have been startled by the report.
+
+The river inclined very much to the southward for some miles below our
+last camp; at length it struck against some elevations that turned it more
+to the westward. Before we terminated our day's pull it again changed its
+direction to the eastward of south. The right bank became lofty, and the
+left proportionably depressed.
+
+REFLECTIONS ON THE PROGRESS OF THE EXPEDITION.
+
+In consequence of the boisterous weather we had had, we were uncertain as
+to our precise situation, even in point of latitude. But I was perfectly
+aware that we were considerably to the south of the head of St. Vincent's
+Gulf. I began, therefore, to contemplate with some confidence a speedy
+termination to our wanderings, or, at least, that we should soon reach the
+extreme point to which we could advance. The sun was at this time out of
+my reach, since the sextant would not measure double the altitude.
+Observations of the stars were, in like manner, uncertain, in consequence
+of the boisterous weather we had had, and the unavoidable agitation of the
+quicksilver. My last observation of Antares placed us in latitude
+34 degrees 4 minutes; so that we were still 115 miles from the coast.
+
+We had now been twenty-two days upon the river, and it was uncertain how
+long we should be in compassing the distance we had still to run.
+Considering all things, we had, as yet, been extremely fortunate; and I
+hoped that we should terminate our journey without the occurrence of any
+fatal accident. Had the country corresponded with the noble stream that
+traversed it, we should have been proportionably elated, but it was
+impossible to conceal from ourselves its inhospitable and unprofitable
+character, as far as we had, as yet, penetrated. If we except the partial
+and alluvial flats on the immediate borders, and in the neighbourhood of
+its tributaries and creeks, the Murray might be said to flow through a
+barren and sandy interior. The appearance of the country through which we
+passed on the 29th, was far from being such as to encourage us with the
+hopes of any change for the better. The river was enclosed, on either
+side, by the same kind of banks that have already been described; and it
+almost appeared as if the plain had been rent asunder to allow of a
+passage for its waters. The view of the distant interior was
+unsatisfactory. It was, for the most part, covered with brush, but, at
+length, cypresses again made their appearance, although at a considerable
+distance from us.
+
+The river continued to flow to the southward, a circumstance that gave me
+much satisfaction, for I now began to feel some anxiety about the men.
+They had borne their fatigues and trials so cheerfully, and had behaved so
+well, that I could not but regret the scanty provision that remained for
+them. The salt meat being spoiled, it had fallen to the share of the dogs,
+so that we had little else than flour to eat. Fish no one would touch, and
+of wild fowl there were none to be seen. The men complained of sore eyes,
+from the perspiration constantly running into them, and it was obvious to
+me that they were much reduced. It will be borne in mind, that we were now
+performing the earliest part of our task, and were going down with the
+stream. I was sure that on our return, (For I had no hopes of meeting any
+vessel on the coast,) we should have to make every day's journey good
+against the current; and, if the men were now beginning to sink, it might
+well be doubted whether their strength would hold out. Both M'Leay and
+myself, therefore, encouraged any cheerfulness that occasionally broke out
+among them, and Frazer enlivened them by sundry tunes that he whistled
+whilst employed in skinning birds. I am sure, no galley-slave ever took to
+his oar with more reluctance than poor Frazer. He was indefatigable in
+most things, but he could not endure the oar.
+
+NATIVES BECOME UNRULY.
+
+We did not fall in with any natives on the 30th, neither did we see those
+who had preceded us from the last tribe. On the 31st, to my mortification,
+the river held so much to the northward, that we undid almost all our
+southing. What with its regular turns, and its extensive sweeps, the
+Murray covers treble the ground, at a moderate computation, that it would
+occupy in a direct course; and we had a practical instance of the truth of
+this in the course of the afternoon, when we found our friends ready to
+introduce us to a large assemblage of natives. On asking them how they had
+passed us, they pointed directly east to the spot at which we had parted.
+By crossing from one angle of the river to the other, they had performed
+in little more than half a day, a journey which it had taken us two long
+days to accomplish. After our usual distribution of presents, we pushed
+away from the bank; though not without some difficulty, in consequence of
+the obstinacy of the natives in wishing to detain us; and I was
+exceedingly vexed to find, while we were yet in sight of them, that we had
+proceeded down a shallow channel on one side of an island instead of the
+further and deeper one; so that the boat ultimately grounded. A crowd of
+the blacks rushed into the water, and surrounded us on every side. Some
+came to assist us, others, under a pretence of assisting, pulled against
+us, and I was at length obliged to repel them by threats. A good many of
+them were very much disposed to annoy us, and, after the boat was in deep
+water, some of them became quite infuriated, because we would not return.
+Had we been within distance, they would assuredly have hurled their spears
+at us. Thirteen of them followed us to our resting place. They kept rather
+apart from us, and kindled their fire in a little hollow about fifty paces
+to our right; nor did they venture to approach the tents unless we called
+to them, so that by their quiet and unobtrusive conduct they made up in
+some measure for the unruly proceedings of others of their tribe.
+
+We had now arrived at a point at which I hoped to gain some information
+from the natives, respecting the sea. It was to no purpose, however, that
+I questioned these stupid people. They understood perfectly, by my
+pointing to the sky, and by other signs, that I was inquiring about large
+waters, but they could not, or would not, give any information on the
+subject.
+
+CHANGE IN THE GEOLOGY OF THE COUNTRY.
+
+As we proceeded down the river, its current became weaker, and its channel
+somewhat deeper. Our attention was called to a remarkable change in the
+geology of the country, as well as to an apparent alteration in the
+natural productions. The cliffs of sand and clay ceased, and were
+succeeded by a fossil formation of the most singular description. At
+first, it did not exceed a foot in height above the water, but it
+gradually rose, like an inclined plane, and resembled in colour, and in
+appearance, the skulls of men piled one upon the other. The constant
+rippling of the water against the rock had washed out the softer parts,
+and made hollows and cavities, that gave the whole formation the precise
+appearance of a catacomb. On examination, we discovered it to be a compact
+bed of shells, composed of a common description of marine shell from two
+to three inches in length, apparently a species of turritella.
+
+BANKS OF PETRIFIED SHELLS.
+
+At about nine miles from the commencement of this formation, it rose to
+the height of more than 150 feet; the country became undulating, and a
+partial change took place in its vegetation. We stopped at an early hour,
+to examine some cliffs, which rising perpendicularly from the water, were
+different in character and substance from any we had as yet seen. They
+approached a dirty yellow-ochre in colour, that became brighter in hue as
+it rose, and, instead of being perforated, were compact and hard.
+The waters of the river had, however, made horizontal lines upon their
+fronts, which distinctly marked the rise and fall of the river, as the
+strength or depth of the grooves distinctly indicated the levels it
+generally kept. It did not appear from these lines, that the floods ever
+rose more than four feet above the then level of the stream, or that they
+continued for any length of time. On breaking off pieces of the rock, we
+ascertained that it was composed of one solid mass of sea-shells, of
+various kinds, of which the species first mentioned formed the lowest
+part.
+
+It rained a good deal during the night, but the morning turned out
+remarkably fine. The day was pleasant, for however inconvenient in some
+respects the frequent showers had been, they had cooled the air, and
+consequently prevented our feeling the heat so much as we should otherwise
+have done, in the close and narrow glen we had now entered.
+
+Among the natives who followed us from the last tribe, there was an old
+man, who took an uncommon fancy or attachment to Hopkinson, and who
+promised, when we separated, to join us again in the course of the day.
+
+FACE OF THE COUNTRY.
+
+As we proceeded down the river we found that it was confined in a glen,
+whose extreme breadth was not more than half-a-mile. The hills that rose
+on either side of it were of pretty equal height. The alluvial flats were
+extremely small, and the boldest cliffs separated them from each other.
+The flats were lightly wooded, and were for the most part covered with
+reeds or polygonum. They were not much elevated above the waters of the
+river, and had every appearance of being frequently inundated. At noon we
+pulled up to dine, upon the left bank, under some hills, which were from
+200 to 250 feet in height. While the men were preparing our tea,
+(for we had only that to boil,) M'Leay and I ascended the hills. The brush
+was so thick upon them, that we could not obtain a view of the distant
+interior. Their summits were covered with oyster-shells, in such abundance
+as entirely to preclude the idea of their having been brought to such a
+position by the natives. They were in every stage of petrification.
+
+In the course of the afternoon the old man joined us, and got into the
+boat. As far as we could understand from his signs, we were at no great
+distance from some remarkable change or other. The river had been making
+to the N.W., from the commencement of the fossil formation, and it
+appeared as if it was inclined to keep that direction. The old man pointed
+to the N.W., and then placed his hand on the side of his head to indicate,
+as I understood him, that we should sleep to the N.W. of where we then
+were; but his second motion was not so intelligible, for he pointed due
+south, as if to indicate that such would be our future course; and he
+concluded his information, such as it was, by describing the roaring of
+the sea, and the height of the waves. It was evident this old man had been
+upon the coast, and we were therefore highly delighted at the prospect
+thus held out to us of reaching it.
+
+REMARKABLE CLIFFS.
+
+A little below the hills under which we had stopped, the country again
+assumed a level. A line of cliffs, of from two to three hundred feet in
+height, flanked the river, first on one side and then on the other,
+varying in length from a quarter of a mile to a mile. They rose
+perpendicularly from the water, and were of a bright yellow colour,
+rendered still more vivid occasionally by the sun shining full upon them.
+The summits of these cliffs were as even as if they had been built by an
+architect; and from their very edge, the country back from the stream was
+of an uniform level, and was partly plain, and partly clothed by brush.
+The soil upon this plateau, or table land, was sandy, and it was as barren
+and unproductive as the worst of the country we had passed through. On the
+other hand, the alluvial flats on the river increased in size, and were
+less subject to flood; and the river lost much of its sandy bed, and its
+current was greatly diminished in strength.
+
+NATIVE CHARACTER.
+
+It blew so fresh, during the greater part of the day, from the westward,
+that we had great difficulty in pulling against the breeze. The determined
+N.W. course the river kept, made me doubt the correctness of the story of
+the little old black; yet there was an openness of manner about him, and a
+clearness of description, that did not appear like fabrication. He pointed
+to the S.S.W. when he left us, as the direction in which he would again
+join us, thus confirming, without any apparent intention, what he had
+stated with regard to the southerly course the river was about to take.
+Among the natives who were with him, there was another man of very
+different manners and appearance. Our friend was small in stature, had
+piercing grey eyes, and was as quick as lightning in his movements The
+other was tall, and grey headed; anxious, yet unobtrusive; and confident,
+without the least mixture of boldness. The study of the human character on
+many occasions similar to this, during our intercourse with these people,
+rude and uncivilized as they were, was not only pleasing, but instructive.
+We found that the individuals of a tribe partook of one general character,
+and that the whole of the tribe were either decidedly quiet, or as
+decidedly disorderly. The whole of the blacks left us when we started,
+but we had not gone very far, when the individual I have described brought
+his family, consisting of about fifteen persons. We were going down a part
+of the river in which there was a very slight fall. The natives were
+posted under some blue-gum trees, upon the right bank, and there was a
+broad shoal of sand immediately to our left. They walked over to this
+shoal, to receive some little presents, but did not follow when we
+continued our journey.
+
+TAKE BEARINGS.
+
+During the whole of the day the river ran to the N.W. We stopped for the
+night under some cliffs, similar to those we had already passed, but
+somewhat higher. From their summit, mountains were visible to the N.W.,
+but at a great distance from us. I doubted not that they were at the head
+of the southern gulfs; or of one of them, at all events. Our observations
+placed us in 34 degrees 08 minutes south of lat., and in long. 139 degrees
+41 minutes 15 seconds; we were consequently nearly seventy miles from
+Spencer's Gulf, in a direct line, and I should have given that as the
+distance the hills appeared to be from us. They bore as follows:--
+
+  Lofty round mountain, S. 127 degrees W.
+  Mountain scarcely visible, S. 128 degrees W.
+  Northern extremity of a broken range, S. 102 degrees W.
+  Southern extremity scarcely visible, S. 58 degrees W.
+
+The country between the river and these ranges appeared to be very low,
+and darkly wooded: that to the N.E. was more open. The summit of the cliff
+did not form any table-land, but it dipped almost immediately to the
+westward, and the country, although, as I have already remarked, it was
+depressed, and undulated.
+
+I walked to some distance from the river, across a valley, and started
+several kangaroos; but I was quite alone, and could not, therefore, secure
+one of them. Had the dogs been near, we should have had a fine feast. The
+soil of the interior still continued sandy, but there was a kind of short
+grass mixed with the salsolaceous plants upon it, that indicated, as I
+thought, a change for the better in the vegetation; and the circumstance
+of there being kangaroos in the valleys to the westward was also a
+favourable sign.
+
+FEAST ON A TORTOISE.
+
+Beneath the cliffs hereabouts, the river was extremely broad and deep.
+My servant thought it a good place for fishing and accordingly set a
+night-line, one end of which he fastened to the bough of a tree. During
+the night, being on guard, he saw a small tortoise floating on the water,
+so near that he struck it a violent blow with a large stick, upon which it
+dived: to his surprise, however, in the morning, he found that it had
+taken the bait, and was fast to the line. On examining it, the shell
+proved to be cracked, so that the blow must have been a severe one. It was
+the largest we had ever seen, and made an excellent dish. The flesh was
+beautifully white, nor could anything, especially under our circumstances,
+have been more tempting than it was when cooked; yet M'Leay would not
+partake of it.
+
+The prevailing wind was, at this time, from the S.W. It blew heavily all
+day, but moderated towards the evening
+
+I was very anxious, at starting on the 3rd, as to the course the river
+would take, since it would prove whether the little old man had played us
+false or not. From the cliffs under which we had slept, it held a direct
+N.W. course for two or three miles. It then turned suddenly to the S.E.,
+and gradually came round to E.N.E., so that after two hours pulling, we
+found ourselves just opposite to the spot from which we had started, the
+neck of land that separated the channels not being more than 200 yards
+across. I have before noticed a bend similar to this, which the Murray
+makes, a little above the junction of the supposed Darling with it.
+
+CHART OF THE RIVER.
+
+It may appear strange to some of my readers, that I should have laid down
+the windings of the river so minutely. It may therefore be necessary for
+me to state that every bend of it was laid down by compass, and that the
+bearings of the angles as they opened were regularly marked by me, so that
+not a single winding or curve of the Murray is omitted in the large chart.
+The length of some of the reaches may be erroneous, but their direction is
+strictly correct. I always had a sheet of paper and the compass before me,
+and not only marked down the river line, but also the description of
+country nearest; its most minute changes, its cliffs, its flats, the kind
+of country back from it, its lagoons, the places at which the tribes
+assembled, its junctions, tributaries and creeks, together with our
+several positions, were all regularly noted, so that on our return up the
+river we had no difficulty in ascertaining upon what part of it we were,
+by a reference to the chart; and it proved of infinite service to us,
+since we were enabled to judge of our distance from our several camps, as
+we gained them day by day with the current against us; and we should often
+have stopped short of them, weary and exhausted, had we not known that two
+or three reaches more would terminate our labour for the day.
+
+REMARKABLE CLIFFS.
+
+From the spot last spoken of, the river held on a due south course for the
+remainder of the day; and at the same time changed its character. It lost
+its sandy bed and its current together, and became deep, still, and
+turbid, with a muddy bottom. It increased considerably in breadth, and
+stretched away before us in magnificent reaches of from three to six miles
+in length. The cliffs under which we passed towered above us, like
+maritime cliffs, and the water dashed against their base like the waves of
+the sea. They became brighter and brighter in colour, looking like dead
+gold in the sun's rays; and formed an unbroken wall of a mile or two in
+length. The natives on their summits showed as small as crows; and the
+cockatoos, the eagles, and other birds, were as specks above us; the
+former made the valley reverberate with their harsh and discordant notes.
+The reader may form some idea of the height of these cliffs, when informed
+that the king of the feathered race made them his sanctuary. They were
+continuous on both sides of the river, but retired, more or less, from it,
+according to the extent of the alluvial flats. The river held a serpentine
+course down the valley through which it passed, striking the precipices
+alternately on each side.
+
+The soil on the flats was better, and less mixed with sand than it had
+been, but the flats were generally covered with reeds, though certainly
+not wholly subject to flood at any time. The polygonum still prevailed
+upon them in places, and the blue-gum tree alone occupied their outskirts.
+From the several elevations we ascended, the country to the N.W. appeared
+undulating and well wooded; that to the eastward, seemed to be brushy and
+low. Certainly there was a great difference in the country, both to the
+eastward and to the westward. We had frequent views of the mountains we
+had seen, or, I should have said, of a continuation of them. They bore
+nearly west from us at a very great distance all day.
+
+We fell in with several tribes, but did not see our old friend, although,
+from the inquiries we made, it was evident he was well known among them.
+It would disgust my readers were I to describe the miserable state of
+disease and infirmity to which these tribes were reduced. Leprosy of the
+most loathsome description, the most violent cutaneous eruptions, and
+glandular affections, absolutely raged through the whole of them; yet we
+could not escape from the persecuting examination of our persons that
+curiosity prompted them in some measure to insist upon.
+
+REJOINED BY OUR OLD NATIVE GUIDE.
+
+The old man, whose information had proved strictly correct, joined us
+again on the 4th, and his joy at being received into the boat was
+unbounded, as well as the pleasure he expressed at again meeting
+Hopkinson. He had been on a long journey, it would appear, for he had not
+then reached his tribe. As we approached their haunt, he landed and
+preceded us to collect them. We were, of course, more than usually liberal
+to so old a friend, and we were really sorry to part with him.
+
+Soon after leaving his tribe, which occupied the left bank of the river,
+and was very weak in point of numbers, we fell in with a very strong tribe
+upon the right bank. They numbered 211 in all. We lay off the bank, in
+order to escape their importunities; a measure that by no means satisfied
+them. The women appeared to be very prolific; but, as a race, these people
+are not to be compared with the natives of the mountains, or of the upper
+branches of the Murray.
+
+We passed some beautiful scenery in the course of the day. The river
+preserved a direct southerly course, and could not in any place have been
+less than 400 yards in breadth. The cliffs still continued, and varied
+perpetually in form; at one time presenting a perpendicular wall to the
+view, at others, they overhung the stream, in huge fragments. All were
+composed of a mass of shells of various kinds; a fact which will call for
+further observation and remark.
+
+DELAYED BY STRONG WINDS.
+
+Many circumstances at this time tended to confirm our hopes that the sea
+could not be very far from us, or that we should not be long in gaining
+it. Some sea-gulls flew over our heads, at which Fraser was about to
+shoot, had I not prevented him, for I hailed them as the messengers of
+glad tidings, and thought they ill deserved such a fate. It blew very hard
+from the S.W., during the whole of the day, and we found it extremely
+laborious pulling against the heavy and short sea that came rolling up the
+broad and open reaches of the Murray at this place.
+
+Four of the blacks, from the last tribe, followed us, and slept at the
+fires; but they were suspicious and timid, and appeared to be very glad
+when morning dawned. Our fires were always so much larger than those made
+by themselves, that, they fancied, perhaps, we were going to roast them.
+Our dogs, likewise, gave them great uneasiness; for although so fond of
+the native brute, they feared ours, from their size. We generally tied
+them to the boat, therefore, to prevent a recurrence of theft, so that
+they were not altogether useless.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+
+
+Improvement in the aspect of the country--Increase of the river--Strong
+westerly gales--Chronometer broken--A healthier tribe of natives--
+Termination of the Murray in a large lake--Its extent and environs--
+Passage across it--Hostile appearance of the natives--Beautiful scenery
+--Channel from the lake to the sea at Encounter Bay--Reach the beach--
+Large flocks of water fowl--Curious refraction--State of provisions--
+Embarrassing situation--Inspection of the channel to the ocean--Weak
+condition of the men--Difficulties of the return.
+
+DELIGHTFUL COUNTRY.
+
+It now appeared that the Murray had taken a permanent southerly course;
+indeed, it might strictly be said that it ran away to the south. As we
+proceeded down it, the valley expanded to the width of two miles; the
+alluvial flats became proportionably larger; and a small lake generally
+occupied their centre. They were extensively covered with reeds and grass,
+for which reason, notwithstanding that they were little elevated above the
+level of the stream, I do not think they are subject to overflow. Parts of
+them may be laid under water, but certainly not the whole. The rains at
+the head of the Murray, and its tributaries, must be unusually severe to
+prolong their effects to this distant region, and the flats bordering it
+appear, by successive depositions, to have only just gained a height above
+the further influence of the floods. Should this prove to be the case, the
+valley may be decidedly laid down as a most desirable spot, whether we
+regard the richness of its soil, its rock formation, its locality, or the
+extreme facility of water communication along it. It must not, however, be
+forgotten or concealed, that the summits of the cliffs by which the valley
+is enclosed, have not a corresponding soil. On the contrary, many of the
+productions common to the plains of the interior still existed upon them,
+and they were decidedly barren; but as we measured the reaches of the
+river, the cliffs ceased, and gave place to undulating hills, that were
+very different in appearance from the country we had previously noted
+down. It would have been impossible for the most tasteful individual to
+have laid out pleasure ground to more advantage, than Nature had done in
+planting and disposing the various groups of trees along the spine, and
+upon the sides of the elevations that confined the river, and bounded the
+low ground that intervened between it and their base. Still, however, the
+soil upon these elevations was sandy, and coarse, but the large oat-grass
+was abundant upon them, which yielded pasture at least as good as that in
+the broken country between Underaliga and Morumbidgee.
+
+We had now gained a distance of at least sixty miles from that angle of
+the Murray at which it reaches its extreme west. The general aspect of the
+country to our right was beautiful, and several valleys branched away into
+the interior upon that side which had a most promising appearance, and
+seemed to abound with kangaroos, as the traces of them were numerous, and
+the dogs succeeded in killing one, which, to our great mortification, we
+could not find.
+
+While, however, the country to the westward had so much to recommend it,
+the hills to our left became extremely bare. It was evident that the right
+was the sheltered side of the valley. The few trees on the opposite side
+bent over to the N.E., as if under the influence of some prevailing wind.
+
+ADVERSE GALES.
+
+We experienced at this time a succession of gales from the S.W., against
+which we, on several occasions, found it useless to contend: the waves on
+the river being heavy and short; and the boat, driving her prow into them,
+sent the spray over us and soon wet us through. Indeed, it is difficult
+for the reader to imagine the heavy swell that rolled up the river, which
+had increased in breadth to the third of a mile, and in the length of its
+reaches to eight or ten. I was satisfied that we were not only navigating
+this river at a particularly stormy, perhaps THE stormy, season; but also,
+that the influence of the S.W. wind is felt even as far in the interior as
+to the supposed Darling; in consequence of the uniform build of the huts,
+and the circumstance of their not only facing the N.E., but also being
+almost invariably erected under the lee of some bush.
+
+The weather, under the influence of the wind we experienced, was cool and
+pleasant, although the thermometer stood at a medium height of 86 degrees;
+but we found it very distressing to pull against the heavy breezes that
+swept up the valley, and bent the reeds so as almost to make them kiss the
+stream.
+
+We communicated on the 6th and 7th with several large tribes of natives,
+whose manners were on the whole quiet and inoffensive. They distinctly
+informed us, that we were fast approaching the sea, and, from what I could
+understand, we were nearer to it than the coast line of Encounter Bay made
+us. We had placed sticks to ascertain if there was any rise or fall of
+tide, but the troubled state of the river prevented our experiments from
+being satisfactory. By selecting a place, however, that was sheltered from
+the effects of the wind, we ascertained that there was an apparent rise
+of about eight inches.
+
+OBLIGED TO TAKE REPOSE.
+
+It blew a heavy gale during the whole of the 7th; and we laboured in vain
+at the oar. The gusts that swept the bosom of the water, and the swell
+they caused, turned the boat from her course, and prevented us from making
+an inch of way. The men were quite exhausted, and, as they had conducted
+themselves so well, and had been so patient, I felt myself obliged to
+grant them every indulgence consistent with our safety. However precarious
+our situation, it would have been vain, with our exhausted strength, to
+have contended against the elements. We, therefore, pulled in to the left
+bank of the river, and pitched our tents on a little rising ground beyond
+the reeds that lined it.
+
+CHRONOMETER BROKEN.
+
+I had been suffering very much front tooth-ache for the last three or four
+days, and this day felt the most violent pain from the wind. I was not,
+therefore, sorry to get under even the poor shelter our tents afforded.
+M'Leay, observing that I was in considerable pain, undertook to wind up
+the chronometer; but, not understanding or knowing the instrument, he
+unfortunately broke the spring. I shall not forget the anxiety he
+expressed, and the regret he felt on the occasion; nor do I think M'Leay
+recovered the shock this unlucky accident gave him for two or three days,
+or until the novelty of other scenes drove it from his recollection.
+
+We landed close to the haunt of a small tribe of natives, who came to us
+with the most perfect confidence, and assisted the men in their
+occupations. They were cleaner and more healthy than any tribe we had
+seen; and were extremely cheerful, although reserved in some respects.
+As a mark of more than usual cleanliness, the women had mats of oval
+shape, upon which they sat, made, apparently, of rushes. There was a
+young girl among them of a most cheerful disposition. She was about
+eighteen, was well made, and really pretty. This girl was married to an
+elderly man who had broken his leg, which having united in a bent shape,
+the limb was almost useless. I really believe the girl thought we could
+cure her husband, from her importunate manner to us. I regretted that I
+could do nothing for the man, but to show that I was not inattentive to
+her entreaties, I gave him a pair of trousers, and desired Fraser to put
+them upon him; but the poor fellow cut so awkward an appearance in them,
+that his wife became quite distressed, and Fraser was obliged speedily
+to disencumber him from them again.
+
+We could not gain any satisfactory information, as to the termination of
+the river, from these people. It was evident that some change was at hand;
+but what it was we could not ascertain.
+
+APPEARANCE OF SOME APPROACHING CHANGE.
+
+On the morning of the 9th, we left our fair friend and her lame husband,
+and proceeded down the river. The wind had moderated, although it still
+blew fresh. We ascended every height as we went along, but could not see
+any new feature in the country. Our view to the eastward was very
+confined; to the westward the interior was low and dark, and was backed in
+the distance by lofty ranges, parallel to which we had been running for
+some days. The right bank of the valley was beautifully undulated, but the
+left was bleak and bare. The valley had a breadth of from three to four
+miles, and the flats were more extensive under the former than under the
+latter. They were scarcely two feet above the level of the water, and were
+densely covered with reeds. As there was no mark upon the reeds to
+indicate the height to which the floods rose, I cannot think that these
+flats are ever wholly laid under water; if they are, it cannot be to any
+depth: at all events a few small drains would effectually prevent
+inundation. The soil upon the hills continued to be much mixed with sand,
+and the prevailing trees were cypress and box. Among the minor shrubs and
+grass, many common to the east coasts were noticed; and although the bold
+cliffs had ceased, the basis of the country still continued of the fossil
+formation. At a turn of the stream hereabouts, however, a solitary rock of
+coarse red granite rose above the waters, and formed an island in its
+centre; but only in this one place was it visible. The rock was composed
+principally of quartz and feldspar.
+
+A little below it, we found a large tribe anxiously awaiting our arrival.
+They crowded to the margin of the river with great eagerness, and evinced
+more surprise at our appearance than any tribe we had seen during the
+journey; but we left them very soon, notwithstanding that they importuned
+us much to stay.
+
+After pulling a mile or two, we found a clear horizon before us to the
+south. The hills still continued upon our left, but we could not see any
+elevation over the expanse of reeds to our right. The river inclined to
+the left, and swept the base of the hills that still continued on that
+side. I consequently landed once more to survey the country.
+
+TERMINATION OF THE MURRAY IN A LARGE LAKE.
+
+I still retained a strong impression on my mind that some change was at
+hand, and on this occasion, I was not disappointed; but the view was one
+for which I was not altogether prepared. We had, at length, arrived at the
+termination of the Murray. Immediately below me was a beautiful lake,
+which appeared to be a fitting reservoir for the noble stream that had led
+us to it; and which was now ruffled by the breeze that swept over it.
+The ranges were more distinctly visible, stretching from south to north,
+and were certainly distant forty miles. They had a regular unbroken
+outline; declining gradually to the south, but terminating abruptly at a
+lofty mountain northerly. I had no doubt on my mind of this being the
+Mount Lofty of Captain Flinders; or that the range was that immediately to
+the eastward of St. Vincent's Gulf--Since the accident to the chronometer,
+we had not made any westing, so that we knew our position as nearly as
+possible. Between us and the ranges a beautiful promontory shot into the
+lake, being a continuation of the right bank of the Murray. Over this
+promontory the waters stretched to the base of the ranges, and formed an
+extensive bay. To the N.W. the country was exceedingly low, but distant
+peaks were just visible over it. To the S.W. a bold headland showed
+itself; beyond which, to the westward, there was a clear and open sea
+visible, through a strait formed by this headland and a point projecting
+from the opposite shore. To the E. and S.E. the country was low, excepting
+the left shore of the lake, which was backed by some minor elevations,
+crowned with cypresses. Even while gazing on this fine scene, I could not
+but regret that the Murray had thus terminated; for I immediately foresaw
+that, in all probability, we should be disappointed in finding any
+practicable communication between the lake and the ocean, as it was
+evident that the former was not much influenced by tides. The wind had
+again increased; it still blew fresh from the S.W. and a heavy sea was
+rolling direct into the mouth of the river. I hoped, notwithstanding, that
+we should have been enabled to make sail, for which reason we entered the
+lake about 2 p.m. The natives had kindled a large fire on a distant point
+between us and the further headland, and to gain this point our efforts
+were now directed. The waves were, however, too strong, and we were
+obliged to make for the eastern shore, until such time as the weather
+should moderate. We pitched our tents on a low track of land that
+stretched away seemingly for many miles directly behind us to the
+eastward. It was of the richest soil, being a black vegetable deposit,
+and although now high above the influence, the lake had, it was evident,
+once formed a part of its bed. The appearance of the country altogether
+encouraged M'Leay and myself to walk out, in order to examine it from some
+hills a little to the S.E. of the camp. From them we observed that the
+flat extended over about fifty miles, and was bounded by the elevations
+that continued easterly from the left bank of the Murray to the north,
+and by a line of rising-ground to the south. The whole was lightly wooded,
+and covered with grass. The season must have been unusually dry, judging
+from the general appearance of the vegetation, and from the circumstance
+of the lagoons in the interior being wholly exhausted.
+
+Thirty-three days had now passed over our heads since we left the depot
+upon the Morumbidgee, twenty-six of which had been passed upon the Murray.
+We had, at length, arrived at the grand reservoir of those waters whose
+course and fate had previously been involved in such obscurity. It
+remained for us to ascertain whether the extensive sheet of water upon
+whose bosom we had embarked, had any practicable communication with the
+ocean, and whether the country in the neighbourhood of the coast
+corresponded with that immediately behind our camp, or kept up its sandy
+and sterile character to the very verge of the sea. As I have already
+said, my hopes on the first of these points were considerably damped, but
+I could not help anticipating a favourable change in the latter, since its
+features had so entirely changed.
+
+DETAINED BY THE WIND.
+
+The greatest difficulty against which we had at present to contend was the
+wind; and I dreaded the exertion it would call for, to make head against
+it; for the men were so much reduced that I felt convinced they were
+inadequate to any violent or prolonged effort. It still blew fresh at
+8 p.m., but at that time it began to moderate. It may be imagined that I
+listened to its subdued gusts with extreme anxiety. It did not wholly
+abate until after 2 a.m., when it gradually declined, and about 3 a light
+breeze sprung up from the N. E.
+
+We had again placed sticks to ascertain with more precision the rise of
+tide, and found it to be the same as in the river. In the stillness of the
+night too we thought we heard the roaring of the sea, but I was myself
+uncertain upon the point, as the wind might have caused the sound.
+
+From the top of the hill from which we had obtained our first view of the
+lake, I observed the waves breaking upon the distant headland, and
+enveloping the cliff in spray; so that, independent of the clearness of
+the horizon beyond it, I was further led to conclude that there existed a
+great expanse of water to the S.W.; and, as that had been the direction
+taken by the river, I thought it probable that by steering at once to the
+S.W. down the lake, I should hit the outlet. I, consequently, resolved to
+gain the southern extremity of the lake, as that at which it was natural
+to expect a communication with the ocean would be found.
+
+GEOLOGICAL FORMATION.
+
+At 4 we had a moderate breeze, and it promised to strengthen; we lost no
+time therefore in embarking, and with a flowing sheet stretched over to
+the W.S.W., and ran along the promontory formed by the right bank of the
+Murray. We passed close under its extreme point at nine. The hills had
+gradually declined, and we found the point to be a flat, elevated about
+thirty feet above the lake. It was separated from the promontory by a
+small channel that was choked up with reeds, so that it is more than
+probable that the point is insulated at certain periods; whilst in its
+stratification it resembled the first cliffs I have described that were
+passed below the Darling. It is a remarkable fact in the geology of the
+Murray, that such should be the case; and that the formation at each
+extremity of the great bank or bed of fossils should be the same.
+Thus far, the waters of the lake had continued sweet; but on filling a can
+when we were abreast of this point, it was found that they were quite
+unpalatable, to say the least of them. The transition from fresh to salt
+water was almost immediate, and it was fortunate we made the discovery in
+sufficient time to prevent our losing ground. But, as it was, we filled
+our casks, and stood on, without for a moment altering our course.
+
+PASSAGE ACROSS THE LAKE--ITS SHALLOWNESS.
+
+It is difficult to give a just description of our passage across the lake.
+The boisterous weather we had had seemed to have blown over. A cool and
+refreshing breeze was carrying us on at between four and five knots an
+hour, and the heavens above us were without a cloud. It almost appeared as
+if nature had resisted us in order to try our perseverance, and that she
+had yielded in pity to our efforts. The men, relieved for a time from the
+oar, stretched themselves at their length in the boat, and commented on
+the scenery around them, or ventured their opinions as to that which was
+before them. Up to this moment their conduct had been most exemplary; not
+a murmur had escaped from them, and they filled the water-casks with the
+utmost cheerfulness, even whilst tasting the disagreeable beverage they
+would most probably have to subsist on for the next three or four days.
+
+As soon as we had well opened the point, we had a full view of the
+splendid bay that, commencing at the western most of the central points,
+swept in a beautiful curve under the ranges. No land was visible to the
+W.N.W. or to the S.S.W.: in both these quarters the lake was as open as
+the ocean. It appeared, therefore, that the land intermediate was an
+island. To the north the country was extremely low, and as we increased
+our distance from it we lost sight of it altogether. At noon we were
+nearly abreast of the eastern headland, or in the centre of the strait to
+which I have alluded. At this time there was an open sea from W.N.W. to
+N. by E. A meridian altitude gave our latitude 35 degrees 25 minutes.
+The land to our left was bold and precipitous; that to the right was low
+and wooded; and there was evidently a considerable space between the
+shores of the lake and the base of the ranges. The country to the eastward
+was hidden from us by the line of cliffs, beyond which from E.S.E. to
+W.S.W. there was an open sea. We had kept the lead going from the first,
+and I was surprised at the extreme shallowness of the lake in every part,
+as we never had six feet upon the line. Its bottom was one of black mud,
+and weeds of enormous length were floating on its surface, detached by the
+late gales, and which, from the shallowness of the lake, got constantly
+entangled with our rudder.
+
+We tried to land on the eastern point, but found the water too shallow,
+and were obliged to try the western shore. In passing close under the
+head, we observed several natives upon it, who kindled a large fire as
+soon as they saw they were noticed, which was answered from every point;
+for, in less than ten minutes afterwards, we counted no fewer than
+fourteen different fires, the greater number of which were on the side of
+the ranges.
+
+SHORES OF THE LAKE.
+
+As we were standing across from one shore to the other, our attention was
+drawn to a most singular object. It started suddenly up, as above the
+waters to the south, and strikingly resembled an isolated castle. Behind
+it, a dense column of smoke rose into the sky, and the effect was most
+remarkable. On a nearer approach, the phantom disappeared and a clear and
+open sea again presented itself to our view. The fact was, that the
+refractive power upon the coast had elevated the sand-hillocks above their
+true position, since we satisfactorily ascertained that they alone
+separated the lake from the ocean, and that they alone could have produced
+the semblance we noticed. It is a singular fact, that this very hillock
+was the one which Capt. Barker ascended whilst carrying on the survey of
+the south coast, and immediately previous to his tragical death.
+
+It was not without difficulty that we succeeded in landing on the western
+shore; but we did, at length, succeed, and prepared our dinners. The shore
+was low, but above the reach of all floods; the soil was rich, and
+superficially sandy. It was covered with high grasses, and abounded in
+kangaroos; within the space of a few yards we found five or six, but they
+were immediately lost to us and to the dogs in the luxuriance of the
+vegetation amidst which they were feeding.
+
+As soon as we had finished our meal, we once more embarked, and stood
+along the shore to the S.W., but the lake was so shoal, that I was every
+moment apprehensive we should ground. I ran across, therefore, to the
+south, towards a low flat that had just appeared above the line of the
+horizon, in hope that, in sounding, we should have found the channel, but
+there either was none, or else it was so narrow that we passed over it
+between the heaves of the lead. At this time, the western shore was quite
+distinct, and the scenery was beautiful.
+
+The flat we were approaching was a mud-flat, and, from its appearance, the
+tide was certainly at the ebb. We observed some cradles, or wicker frames,
+placed far below high water-mark, that were each guarded by two natives,
+who threatened us violently as we approached. In running along the land,
+the stench from them plainly indicated what they were which these poor
+creatures were so anxiously watching.
+
+We steered a S.W. course, towards some low and wooded hills, passing a
+rocky island, and found that we had struck the mouth of a channel running
+to the W.S.W. It was about half-a-mile wide, was bounded to the right by
+some open flat ground, and to the left by a line of hills of about sixty
+or seventy feet in elevation, partly open and partly covered with
+beefwood.
+
+WARLIKE DEMEANOUR OF THE NATIVES.
+
+Upon the first of these hills, we observed a large body of natives, who
+set up the most terrific yells as we approached. They were fully equipped
+for battle and, as we neared the shore, came down to meet us with the most
+violent threats. I wished much to communicate with them, and, not without
+hopes of quieting them, stood right in with the intention of landing.
+I observed, however, that if I did so, I should have to protect myself.
+I hauled a little off, and endeavoured, by holding up a branch and a
+tomahawk, to gain their confidence, but they were not to be won over by
+my show of pacification. An elderly man walked close to the water's edge
+unarmed, and, evidently, directed the others. He was followed by seven or
+eight of the most daring, who crept into the reeds, with their spears
+shipped to throw at us. I, therefore, took up my gun to return their
+salute. It then appeared that they were perfectly aware of the weapon I
+carried, for the moment they saw it, they dashed out of their hiding place
+and retreated to the main body; but the old man, after saying something
+to them, walked steadily on, and I, on my part, laid my firelock down
+again.
+
+LOVELY EVENING.
+
+It was now near sunset; and one of the most lovely evenings I had ever
+seen. The sun's radiance was yet upon the mountains, but all lower objects
+were in shade. The banks of the channel, with the trees and the rocks,
+were reflected in the tranquil waters, whose surface was unruffled save by
+the thousands of wild fowl that rose before us, and made a noise as of a
+multitude clapping hands, in their clumsy efforts to rise from the waters.
+Not one of them allowed us to get within shot.
+
+We proceeded about a mile below the hill on which the natives were posted;
+some few still following us with violent threats. We landed, however, on a
+flat, bounded all round by the continuation of the hills. It was an
+admirable position, for, in the centre of it, we could not be taken by
+surprise, and, on the other hand, we gave the natives an opportunity of
+communicating with us if they would. The full moon rose as we were forming
+the camp, and, notwithstanding our vicinity to so noisy a host, the
+silence of death was around us, or the stillness of the night was only
+broken by the roar of the ocean, now too near to be mistaken for wind,
+or by the silvery and melancholy note of the black swans as they passed
+over us, to seek for food, no doubt, among the slimy weeds at the head of
+the lake. We had been quite delighted with the beauty of the channel,
+which was rather more than half-a-mile in width. Numberless mounds, that
+seemed to invite civilised man to erect his dwelling upon them, presented
+themselves to our view. The country round them was open, yet ornamentally
+wooded, and rocks and trees hung or drooped over the waters.
+
+EXTENT OF THE LAKE.
+
+We had in one day gained a position I once feared it would have cost us
+infinite labour to have measured. Indeed, had we been obliged to pull
+across the lake, unless during a calm, I am convinced the men would have
+been wholly exhausted. We had to thank a kind Providence that such was not
+the case, since it had extended its mercy to us at so critical a moment.
+We had indeed need of all the little strength we had remaining, and could
+ill have thrown it away on such an effort as this would have required.
+I calculated that we could not have run less than forty-five miles during
+the day, a distance that, together with the eight miles we had advanced
+the evening previously, would give the length of the lake at fifty-three
+miles.
+
+We had approached to within twelve miles of the ranges, but had not gained
+their southern extremity. From the camp, Mount Barker bore nearly north.
+The ranges appeared to run north and south to our position, and then to
+bend away to the S.S.W., gradually declining to that point, which I
+doubted not terminated in Cape Jervis. The natives kept aloof during the
+night, nor did the dogs by a single growl intimate that any had ventured
+to approach us. The sound of the surf came gratefully to our ears, for it
+told us we were near the goal for which we had so anxiously pushed, and we
+all of us promised ourselves a view of the boundless ocean on the morrow.
+
+CHANNEL TO THE SEA--ITS SHALLOWNESS.
+
+As the morning dawned, we saw that the natives had thrown an out-post of
+sixteen men across the channel, who were watching our motions; but none
+showed themselves on the hills behind us, or on any part of the south
+shore. We embarked as soon as we had breakfasted, A fresh breeze was
+blowing from the N.E. which took us rapidly down the channel, and our
+prospects appeared to be as cheering as the day, for just as we were about
+to push from the shore, a seal rose close to the boat, which we all
+regarded as a favourable omen. We were, however, shortly stopped by
+shoals; it was in vain that we beat across the channel from one side to
+the other; it was a continued shoal, and the deepest water appeared to be
+under the left bank. The tide, however, had fallen, and exposed broad
+flats, over which it was hopeless, under existing circumstances, to haul
+the boat. We again landed on the south side of the channel, patiently to
+await the high water.
+
+M'Leay, myself, and Fraser, ascended the hills, and went to the opposite
+side to ascertain the course of the channel, for immediately above us it
+turned south round the hills. We there found that we were on a narrow
+tongue of land. The channel was immediately below us, and continued to the
+E.S.E. as far as we could trace it. The hills we were upon, were the sandy
+hills that always bound a coast that is low, and were covered with
+banksias, casuarina and the grass-tree.
+
+To the south of the channel there was a flat, backed by a range of
+sand-hummocks, that were covered with low shrubs; and beyond them the sea
+was distinctly visible. We could not have been more than two and a half
+miles from the beach where we stood.
+
+Notwithstanding the sandy nature of the soil, the fossil formation again
+showed itself, not only on these hills, but also on the rocks that were in
+the channel.
+
+A little before high water we again embarked. A seal had been observed
+playing about, and we augured well from such an omen. The blacks had been
+watching us from the opposite shore, and as soon as we moved, rose to keep
+abreast of us. With all our efforts we could not avoid the shoals. We
+walked up to our knees in mud and water, to find the least variation in
+the depth of the water so as to facilitate our exertions, but it was to no
+purpose. We were ultimately obliged to drag the boat over the flats; there
+were some of them a quarter of a mile in breadth, knee-deep in mud; but at
+length got her into deep water again. The turn of the channel was now
+before us, and we had a good run for about four or five miles. We had
+completed the bend, and the channel now stretched to the E.S.E. At about
+nine miles from us there was a bright sand-hill visible, near which the
+channel seemed to turn again to the south; and I doubted not that it
+terminated there. It was to no purpose, however, that we tried to gain it.
+Shoals again closed in upon us on every side. We dragged the boat over
+several, and at last got amongst quicksands. I, therefore, directed our
+efforts to hauling the boat over to the south side of the channel, as that
+on which we could most satisfactorily ascertain our position. After great
+labour we succeeded, and, as evening had closed in, lost no time in
+pitching the tents.
+
+BEACH OF ENCOUNTER BAY.
+
+While the men were thus employed, I took Fraser with me, and, accompanied
+by M'Leay, crossed the sand-hummocks behind us, and descended to the
+sea-shore. I found that we had struck the south coast deep in the bight
+of Encounter Bay. We had no time for examination, but returned immediately
+to the camp, as I intended to give the men an opportunity to go to the
+beach. They accordingly went and bathed, and returned not only highly
+delighted at this little act of good nature on my part, but loaded with
+cockles, a bed of which they had managed to find among the sand. Clayton
+had tied one end of his shirt up, and brought a bag full, and amused
+himself with boiling cockles all night long.
+
+If I had previously any hopes of being enabled ultimately to push the boat
+over the flats that were before us, a view of the channel at low water,
+convinced me of the impracticability of any further attempt. The water was
+so low that every shoal was exposed, and many stretched directly from one
+side of the channel to the other; and, but for the treacherous nature of
+the sand-banks, it would not have been difficult to have walked over dry
+footed to the opposite side of it. The channel stretched away to the
+E.S.E., to a distance of seven or eight miles, when it appeared to turn
+south under a small sand-hill, upon which the rays of the sun fell, as it
+was sinking behind us.
+
+CURIOUS EFFECT OF REFRACTION.
+
+There was an innumerable flock of wild-fowl arranged in rows along the
+sides of the pools left by the tide, and we were again amused by the
+singular effect of the refraction upon them, and the grotesque and
+distorted forms they exhibited. Swans, pelicans, ducks, and geese, were
+mingled together, and, according to their distance from us, presented
+different appearances. Some were exceedingly tall and thin, others were
+unnaturally broad. Some appeared reversed, or as if they were standing on
+their heads, and the slightest motion, particularly the flapping of their
+wings, produced a most ridiculous effect. No doubt, the situation and the
+state of the atmosphere were favourable to the effect I have described.
+The day had been fine, the evening was beautiful,--but it was the
+rarefaction of the air immediately playing on the ground, and not the
+haze at sunset that caused what I have noticed. It is distinct from
+mirage, although it is difficult to point out the difference. The one,
+however, distorts, the other conceals objects, and gives them a false
+distance. The one is clear, the other is cloudy. The one raises objects
+above their true position, the other does not. The one plays about, the
+other is steady; but I cannot hope to give a proper idea either of mirage
+or refraction so satisfactorily as I could wish. Many travellers have
+dwelt upon their effects, particularly upon those of the former, but few
+have attempted to account for them.
+
+Our situation was one of peculiar excitement and interest. To our right
+the thunder of the heavy surf, that almost shook the ground beneath us,
+broke with increasing roar upon our ears; to our left the voice of the
+natives echoed through the brush, and the size of their fires at the
+extremity of the channel, seemed to indicate the alarm our appearance had
+occasioned.
+
+CRITICAL SITUATION OF THE PARTY.
+
+While the men were enjoying their cockles, a large kettle of which they
+had boiled, M'Leay and I were anxiously employed in examining the state of
+our provisions, and in ascertaining what still remained. Flour and tea
+were the only articles we had left, so that the task was not a difficult
+one. It appeared that we had not sufficient of either to last us to
+Pondebadgery, at which place we expected to find supplies; and, taking
+every thing into consideration, our circumstances were really critical.
+
+The first view of Encounter Bay had convinced me that no vessel would ever
+venture into it at a season when the S.W. winds prevailed. It was
+impossible that we could remain upon the coast in expectation of the
+relief that I doubted not had been hurried off for us; since
+disappointment would have sealed our fate at once. In the deep bight in
+which we were, I could not hope that any vessel would approach
+sufficiently near to be seen by us. Our only chance of attracting notice
+would have been by crossing the Ranges to the Gulf St. Vincent, but the
+men had not strength to walk, and I hesitated to divide my party in the
+presence of a determined and numerous enemy, who closely watched our
+motions. Setting aside the generous feelings that had prompted M'Leay to
+participate in every danger with me, and who I am persuaded would have
+deeply felt a separation, my anxiety not only on his account, but on
+account of the men I might leave in charge of the boat, made me averse to
+this measure; the chance of any misfortune to them involving in it the
+destruction of our boat and the loss of our provisions. My anxiety of mind
+would have rendered me unfit for exertion; yet so desirous was I of
+examining the ranges and the country at their base, that I should, had our
+passage to the salt water been uninterrupted, have determined on coasting
+it homewards, or of steering for Launceston; and most assuredly, with my
+present experience, I would rather incur the hazards of so desperate a
+step, than contend against all the evils that beset us on out homeward
+journey. And the reader may rest assured, I was as much without hopes of
+our eventual safety, as I was astonished, at the close of our labours, to
+find that they had terminated so happily.
+
+INSPECTION OF THE CHANNEL FROM THE LAKE TO THE OCEAN.
+
+Further exertion on the part of the men being out of the question, I
+determined to remain no longer on the coast than to enable me to trace the
+channel to its actual junction with the sea, and to ascertain the features
+of the coast at that important point. I was reluctant to exhaust the
+strength of the men in dragging the boat over the numberless flats that
+were before us, and made up my mind to walk along the shore until I should
+gain the outlet. I at length arranged that M'Leay, I, and Fraser, should
+start on this excursion, at the earliest dawn, leaving Harris and
+Hopkinson in charge of the camp; for as we were to go towards the position
+of the natives, I thought it improbable they would attack the camp without
+my being instantly aware of it.
+
+We had, as I have said, intended starting at the earliest dawn, but the
+night was so clear and refreshing, and the moon so bright that we
+determined to avail ourselves of both, and accordingly left the tents at
+3 a.m. I directed Harris to strike them at 8, and to have every thing in
+readiness for our departure at that hour. We then commenced our
+excursion, and I led my companions rapidly along the shore of Encounter
+Bay, after crossing the sand-hills about a mile below the camp. After a
+hasty and distressing walk of about seven miles, we found that the
+sand-hills terminated, and a low beach spread before us. The day was just
+breaking, and at the distance of a mile from us we saw the sand-hill I
+have already had occasion to notice, and at about a quarter of a mile from
+its base, we were checked by the channel; which, as I rightly conjectured,
+being stopped in its easterly course by some rising ground, the tongue of
+land on which the blacks were posted, suddenly turns south, and, striking
+this sand-hill, immediately enters the sea; and we noticed, in the bight
+under the rising ground, that the natives had lit a chain of small fires.
+This was, most probably, a detached party watching our movements, as they
+could, from where they were posted, see our camp.
+
+At the time we arrived at the end of the channel, the tide had turned, and
+was again setting in. The entrance appeared to me to be somewhat less than
+a quarter of a mile in breadth. Under the sand-hill on the off side, the
+water is deep and the current strong. No doubt, at high tide, a part of
+the low beach we had traversed is covered. The mouth of the channel is
+defended by a double line of breakers, amidst which, it would be
+dangerous to venture, except in calm and summer weather; and the line of
+foam is unbroken from one end of Encounter Bay to the other. Thus were our
+fears of the impracticability and inutility of the channel of
+communication between the lake and the ocean confirmed.
+
+DIFFICULTIES AND DANGERS OF THE RETURN.
+
+I would fain have lingered on my way, to examine, as far as circumstances
+would permit, the beautiful country between the lake and the ranges; and
+it was with heart-felt sorrow that I yielded to necessity. My men were
+indeed very weak from poverty of diet and from great bodily fatigue.
+Hopkinson, Mulholland, and Macnamee were miserably reduced. The two
+former, especially, had exerted themselves beyond their strength, and
+although I am confident they would have obeyed my orders to the last,
+I did not feel myself justified, considering the gigantic task we had
+before us, to impose additional labour upon them.
+
+It will be borne in mind that our difficulties were just about to
+commence, when those of most other travellers have ceased; and that
+instead of being assisted by the stream whose course we had followed, we
+had now to contend against the united waters of the eastern ranges,
+with diminished strength, and, in some measure, with disappointed
+feelings.
+
+Under the most favourable circumstances, it was improbable that the men
+would be enabled to pull for many days longer in succession; since they
+had not rested upon their oars for a single day, if I except our passage
+across the lake, from the moment when we started from the depot; nor was
+it possible for me to buoy them up with the hope even of a momentary
+cessation from labour. We had calculated the time to which our supply of
+provisions would last under the most favourable circumstances, and it was
+only in the event of our pulling up against the current, day after day,
+the same distance we had compassed with the current in our favour, that we
+could hope they would last us as long as we continued in the Murray.
+But in the event of floods, or any unforeseen delay, in was impossible
+to calculate at what moment we might be driven to extremity.
+
+Independent of these casualties, there were other circumstances of peril
+to be taken into consideration. As I have already observed, I foresaw
+great danger in again running through the natives. I had every reason to
+believe that many of the tribes with which we had communicated on
+apparently friendly terms, regretted having allowed us to pass unmolested;
+nor was I at all satisfied as to the treatment we might receive from them,
+when unattended by the envoys who had once or twice controlled their fury.
+Our best security, therefore, against the attacks of the natives was
+celerity of movement; and the men themselves seemed to be perfectly aware
+of the consequences of delay. Our provisions, moreover, being calculated
+to last to a certain point only, the slightest accident, the staving-in
+of the boat, or the rise of the river, would inevitably be attended with
+calamity. To think of reducing our rations of only three quarters of a
+pound of flour per diem, was out of the question, or to hope that the men,
+with less sustenance than that, would perform the work necessary to ensure
+their safety, would have been unreasonable. It was better that our
+provisions should hold out to a place from which we might abandon the boat
+with some prospect of reaching by an effort a stock station, or the plain
+on which Robert Harris was to await our return, than that they should be
+consumed before the half of our homeward journey should be accomplished.
+Delay, therefore, under our circumstances, would have been imprudent
+and unjustifiable.
+
+
+PATIENCE OF THE MEN--RE-ENTER THE MURRAY.
+On the other hand, it was sufficiently evident to me, that the men were
+too much exhausted to perform the task that was before them without
+assistance, and that it would be necessary both for M'Leay and myself,
+to take our share of labour at the oars. The cheerfulness and satisfaction
+that my young friend evinced at the opportunity that was thus afforded him
+of making himself useful, and of relieving those under him from some
+portion of their toil, at the same time that they increased my sincere
+esteem for him, were nothing more than what I expected from one who had
+endeavoured by every means in his power to contribute to the success of
+that enterprise upon which he had embarked. But although I have said thus
+much of the exhausted condition of the men,--and ere these pages are
+concluded my readers will feel satisfied as to the truth of my
+statement--I would by no means be understood to say that they flagged for
+a moment, or that a single murmur escaped them. No reluctance was visible,
+no complaint was heard, but there was that in their aspect and appearance
+which they could not hide, and which I could not mistake. My object in
+dwelling so long upon this subject has been to point out our situation and
+our feelings when we re-entered the Murray. The only circumstance that
+appeared to be in our favour was the prevalence of the south-west wind,
+by which I hoped we should be assisted in running up the first broad
+reaches of that river. I could not but acknowledge the bounty of that
+Providence, which had favoured us in our passage across the lake, and I
+was led to hope that its merciful superintendance would protect us from
+evil, and would silently direct us where human foresight and prudence
+failed. We re-entered the river on the 13th under as fair prospects as
+we would have desired. The gale which had blown with such violence in the
+morning gradually abated, and a steady breeze enabled us to pass our first
+encampment by availing ourselves of it as long as day light continued.
+Both the valley and the river showed to advantage as we approached them,
+and the scenery upon our left (the proper right bank of the Murray)
+was really beautiful.
+
+
+
+
+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.
+
+VALLEY OF THE MURRAY.
+
+The valley of the Murray, at its entrance, cannot be less than four miles
+in breadth. The river does not occupy the centre but inclines to either
+side, according to its windings, and thus the flats are of greater or less
+extent, according to the distance of the river from the base of the hills.
+It is to be remarked, that the bottom of the valley is extremely level,
+and extensively covered with reeds. From the latter circumstance, one
+would be led to infer that these flats are subject to overflow, and no
+doubt can exist as to the fact of their being, at least partially, if not
+wholly, under water at times. A country in a state of nature is, however,
+so different from one in a state of cultivation, that it is hazardous to
+give an opinion as to its practical availableness, if I may use such a
+term. I should, undoubtedly, say the marshes of the Macquarie were
+frequently covered with water, and that they were wholly unfit for any one
+purpose whatever. It is evident from the marks of the reeds upon the
+banks, that the flood covers them occasionally to the depth of three feet,
+and the reeds are so densely embodied and so close to the river side that
+the natives cannot walk along it. The reeds are the broad flag-reed
+(arundo phragmatis), and grow on a stiff earthy loam, without any
+accompanying vegetation; indeed, they form so solid a mass that the sun
+cannot penetrate to the ground to nourish vegetation. On the other hand,
+the valley of the Murray, though covered with reeds in most places, is not
+so in all. There is no mark upon the reeds by which to judge as to the
+height of inundation, neither are they of the same kind as those which
+cover the marshes of the Macquarie. They are the species of round reed of
+which the South-sea islanders make their arrows, and stand sufficiently
+open, not only to allow of a passage through, but for the abundant growth
+of grass among them. Still, I have no doubt that parts of the valley are
+subject to flood; but, as I have already remarked, I do not know whether
+these parts are either deeply or frequently covered. Rain must fall
+simultaneously in the S.E. angle of the island in the inter-tropical
+regions, and at the heads of all the tributaries of the main stream, ere
+its effects can be felt in the lower parts of the Murray. If the valley of
+the Murray is not subject to flood, it has only recently gained a height
+above the influence of the river, and still retains all the character of
+flooded land. In either case, however, it contains land that is of the
+very richest kind--soil that is the pure accumulation of vegetable matter,
+and is as black as ebony. If its hundreds of thousands of acres were
+practically available, I should not hesitate to pronounce it one of the
+richest spots of equal extent on earth, and highly favoured in other
+respects. How far it is available remains to be proved; and an opinion
+upon either side would be hazardous, although that of its liability to
+flood would, most probably, be nearest to truth. It is, however, certain
+that any part of the valley would require much labour before it could be
+brought under cultivation, and that even its most available spots would
+require almost as much trouble to clear them as the forest tract, for
+nothing is more difficult to destroy than reeds. Breaking the sod would,
+naturally, raise the level of the ground, and lateral drains would, most
+probably, carry off all floods, but then the latter, at least, is the
+operation of an advanced stage of husbandry only. I would, however,
+observe that there are many parts of the valley decidedly above the reach
+of flood. I have, in the above observations, been particularly alluding to
+the lowest and broadest portions of it. I trust I shall be understood as
+not wishing to over-rate this discovery on the one hand, or on the other,
+to include its whole extent in one sweeping clause of condemnation.
+
+On the 14th, the wind still continued to blow fresh from the N.W.
+It moderated at noon, and assisted us beyond measure. We passed our first
+encampment, but did not see any natives.
+
+CORDIALITY OF THE NATIVES.
+
+On the 15th, the wind was variable at daylight, and a dense fog was on the
+river. As the sun rose, it was dissipated and a light breeze sprung up
+from W.S.W. We ran up the stream with a free sheet for six hours, when we
+stopped for a short time to get the kettle boiled. Four natives joined us,
+but with the exception of the lowest tribe upon the right bank, we had not
+seen any number. We were extremely liberal to this tribe, in consequence
+of the satisfaction they evinced at our return. We had alarmed them much
+on our passage down the river by firing at a snake that was swimming
+across it. We, at first, attempted to kill it with the boat-hook, but the
+animal dived at our approach, and appeared again at a considerable
+distance. Another such dive would have ensured his escape, but a shot
+effectually checked him, and as the natives evinced considerable alarm, we
+held him up, to show them the object of our proceedings. On our return,
+they seemed to have forgotten their fright, and received us with every
+demonstration of joy. The different receptions we met with from different
+tribes are difficult to be accounted for.
+
+The country appeared to rise before us, and looked more hilly to the N.W.
+than I had supposed it to be. Several fine valleys branched off from the
+main one to the westward, and, however barren the heights that confined
+them were, I am inclined to think, that the distant interior is fertile.
+The marks of kangaroos were numerous, and the absence of the natives would
+indicate that they have other and better means of subsisting in the back
+country than what the river affords.
+
+In the evening, we again ran on for two hours and a half, and reached the
+first of the cliffs.
+
+On the 16th, we were again fortunate in the wind, and pressed up the river
+as long as day-light continued. At the termination of our journey, we
+found ourselves a day's journey in advance. This inspirited the men, and
+they began to forget the labours they had gone through, as well as those
+that were before them.
+
+On the 17th, we again commenced pulling, the wind being at north, and
+contrary. It did not, however, remain in that quarter long, but backed at
+noon to the S.W., so that we were enabled to make a good day's journey,
+and rather gained than lost ground.
+
+REMARKABLE CLIFF--GEOLOGICAL REMARKS.
+
+Having left the undulating hills, at the mouth of the valley behind us,
+we passed cliff after cliff of fossil formation: they had a uniform
+appearance as to the substance of which they were composed, and varied
+but little in colour. Having already examined them, we thought it
+unnecessary to give them any further special attention, since it was
+improbable we should find anything new. In turning an angle of the river,
+however, a broad reach stretched away before us. An alluvial flat extended
+to our left, and a high line of cliffs, that differed in no visible
+respect from those we had already passed, rose over the opposite side of
+the river. The cliffs faced the W.N.W., and as the sun declined, his beams
+struck full upon them. As we shot past, we were quite dazzled with the
+burst of light that flashed upon us, and which gave to the whole face of
+the cliff the appearance of a splendid mirror. The effect was of course
+momentary; for as soon as we had passed the angle of refraction, there was
+nothing unusual in its appearance. On a nearer approach, however, it
+appeared again as if studded with stars. We had already determined on
+examining it more closely, and this second peculiarity still further
+excited our curiosity. On landing, we found the whole cliff to be a mass
+of selenite, in which the various shells already noticed were plentifully
+embedded, as in ice. The features of the cliff differed from any we had
+previously remarked. Large masses, or blocks of square or oblong shape,
+had fallen to its base, and its surface was hard, whereas the face of the
+majority of the other cliffs was soft from the effect of the atmosphere;
+and the rock was entirely free from every other substance, excepting the
+shells of which it was composed. We of course collected some good
+specimens, although they added very considerably to the weight of our
+cargo.
+
+The morning of the 18th was calm and cloudless. The wind, of which there
+was but little, came from the north, and was as usual warm. We availed
+ourselves of a favourable spot to haul our boat on shore under one of the
+cliffs upon the proper left of the river, and cleaned her well both
+inside and out.
+
+LABORIOUS ASCENT OF THE BOAT.
+
+The breezes that had so much assisted as from the lake upwards, had now
+lost their influence, or failed to reach to the distance we had gained.
+Calms succeeded them, and obliged us to labour continually at the oars.
+We lost ground fast, and it was astonishing to remark how soon the men's
+spirits drooped again under their first efforts. They fancied the boat
+pulled heavily, and that her bottom was foul; but such was not the case.
+The current was not so strong as when we passed down, since the river had
+evidently fallen more than a foot, and was so shallow in several places,
+that we were obliged to haul the boat over them. On these occasions we
+were necessarily obliged to get out of her into the water, and had
+afterwards to sit still and to allow the sun to dry our clothes upon us.
+The unemployed consequently envied those at the oars, as they sat
+shivering in their dripping clothes. I was aware that it was more from
+imagination than reality, that the men fancied the boat was unusually
+heavy, but I hesitated not in humouring them, and rather entered into
+their ideas than otherwise, and endeavoured to persuade them that she
+pulled the lighter for the cleaning we gave her.
+
+A tribe of natives joined us, and we had the additional trouble of
+guarding our stores. They were, however, very quiet, and as we had broken
+up our casks, on leaving the coast, we were enabled to be liberal in our
+presents of iron hoop, which they eagerly received. We calculated that we
+should reach the principal junction in about fifteen days from this place.
+
+NATIVE BURIAL-PLACE.
+
+The natives left us to pursue our solitary journey as soon as the boat was
+reloaded. Not one of them had the curiosity to follow us, nor did they
+appear to think it necessary that we should be attended by envoys. We
+stopped for the night upon the left bank; and close to a burial-ground
+that differed from any I had ever seen. It must have been used many years,
+from the number of bones that were found in the bank, but there were no
+other indications of such a place either by mounds or by marks on the
+trees. The fact, therefore, is a singular one. I have thought that some
+battle might have been fought near the place, but I can hardly think one
+of their battles could have been so destructive.
+
+IMPEDED BY SHOALS.
+
+We had now only to make the best of our journey, rising at dawn, and
+pulling to seven and often to nine o'clock. I allowed the men an hour from
+half-past eleven to half-past twelve, to take their bread and water. This
+was our only fare, if I except an occasional wild duck; but these birds
+were extremely difficult to kill, and it cost us so much time, that we
+seldom endeavoured to procure any. Our dogs had been of no great use, and
+were now too weak to have run after anything if they had seen either
+kangaroos or emus; and for the fish, the men loathed them, and were either
+too indifferent or too much fatigued to set the night-lines. Shoals
+frequently impeded us as we proceeded up the river, and we passed some
+rapids that called for our whole strength to stem. A light wind assisted
+us on two or three of these occasions, and I never failed hoisting the
+sail at every fitting opportunity. In some parts the river was extremely
+shallow, and the sand-banks of amazing size; and the annoyance of dragging
+the boat over these occasional bars, was very great. We passed several
+tribes of blacks on the 19th and 20th; but did not stop to communicate
+with them.
+
+I believe I have already mentioned that shortly after we first entered the
+Murray, flocks of a new paroquet passed over our heads, apparently
+emigrating to the N.W. They always kept too high to be fired at, but on
+our return, hereabouts, we succeeded in killing one. It made a good
+addition to our scanty stock of subjects of natural history. It is
+impossible to conceive how few of the feathered tribe frequent these
+distant and lonely regions. The common white cockatoo is the most
+numerous, and there are also a few pigeons; but other birds descend only
+for water, and are soon again upon the wing. Our botanical specimens were
+as scanty as our zoological, indeed the expedition may, as regards these
+two particulars, almost be said to have been unproductive.
+
+COMPILATION OF THE CHART.
+
+When we came down the river, I thought it advisable to lay its course down
+as precisely as circumstances would permit: for for this purpose I had a
+large compass always before me, and a sheet of foolscap paper. As soon as
+we passed an angle of the river, I took the bearings of the reach before
+us, and as we proceeded down it, marked off the description of country,
+and any remarkable feature. The consequence was, that I laid down every
+bend of the Murray River, from the Morumbidgee downwards. Its creeks, its
+tributaries, its flats, its valleys, and its cliffs, and, as far as I
+possibly could do, the nature of the distant interior. This chart was,
+of course, erroneous in many particulars, since I had to judge the length
+of the reaches of the river, and the extent of its angles, but I corrected
+it on the scale of the miles of latitude we made during the day, which
+brought out an approximate truth at all events. The hurried nature of our
+journey would not allow me to do more; and it will be remembered that my
+observations were all siderial, by reason that the sextant would not
+embrace the sun in his almost vertical position at noon. Admitting,
+however, the imperfection of this chart, it was of inconceivable value and
+comfort to us on our return, for, by a reference to it, we discovered our
+place upon the river, and our distance from our several encampments.
+And we should often have stopped short of them had not the chart shown us
+that a few reaches more would bring us to the desired spots. It cheered
+the men to know where they were, and gave them conversation. To myself it
+was very satisfactory, as it enabled me to prepare for our meetings with
+the larger tribes, and to steer clear of obstacles in the more difficult
+navigation of some parts of the stream.
+
+On the 21st, by dint of great labour we reached our camp of the 2nd
+February, from which it will be remembered the Murray took up a southerly
+course, and from which we likewise obtained a first view of the coast
+ranges. The journey to the sea and back again, had consequently occupied
+us twenty days. From this point we turned our boat's head homewards; we
+made it, therefore, a fixed position among the stages into which we
+divided our journey. Our attention was now directed to the junction of the
+principal tributary, which we hoped to reach in twelve days, and
+anticipated a close to our labours on the Murray in eight days more from
+that stage to the Morumbidgee.
+
+CURRENT OF THE MURRAY.
+
+The current in the Murray from the lake, to within a short distance of
+this singular turn in it, is weak, since its bed is almost on a level with
+the lake. The channel, which, at the termination, is somewhat more than
+the third of a mile across, gradually diminishes in breadth, as the
+interior is gained, but is nowhere under 300 yards; while its depth
+averages from eighteen to thirty feet, within a foot of the very bank.
+The river might, therefore, be navigated by boats of considerable burden,
+if the lake admitted of the same facility; but I am decidedly of opinion,
+that the latter is generally shallow, and that it will, in the course of
+years, be filled up by depositions. It is not, however, an estuary in any
+sense of the word, since no part of it is exposed at low water, excepting
+the flats in the channel, and the flat between the lake and the sea.
+
+ACCIDENT TO THE BOAT.
+
+On the 23rd, we stove the boat in for the first time. I had all along
+anticipated such an accident, from the difficulty of avoiding obstacles,
+in consequence of the turbid state of the river. Fortunately the boat
+struck a rotten log. The piece remained in her side, and prevented her
+filling, which she must, otherwise, inevitably have done, ere we could
+have reached the shore. As it was, however, we escaped with a little
+damage to the lower bags of flour only. She was hauled up on a sand bank,
+and Clayton repaired her in less than two hours, when we reloaded her
+and pursued our journey. It was impossible to have been more cautious than
+we were, for I was satisfied as to the fate that would have overtaken the
+whole of us in the event of our losing the boat, and was proportionably
+vigilant.
+
+MOLESTED BY THE NATIVES.
+
+At half-past five we came to an island, which looked so inviting, and so
+quiet, that I determined to land and sleep upon it. We consequently, ran
+the boat into a little recess, or bay, and pitched the tents; and I
+anticipated a respite from the presence of any natives, as did the men,
+who were rejoiced at my having taken up so snug a berth. It happened,
+however, that a little after sunset, a flight of the new paroquets
+perched in the lofty trees that grew on the island, to roost; when we
+immediately commenced the work of death, and succeeded in killing eight or
+ten. The reports of our guns were heard by some natives up the river, and
+several came over to us. Although I was annoyed at their having discovered
+our retreat, they were too few to be troublesome. During the night,
+however, they were joined by fresh numbers, amounting in all to about
+eighty, and they were so clamorous, that it was impossible to sleep.
+
+NATIVES BECOME TROUBLESOME.
+
+As the morning broke, Hopkinson came to inform me that it was in vain that
+the guard endeavoured to prevent them from handling every thing, and from
+closing in round our camp. I went out, and from what I saw I thought it
+advisable to double the sentries. M'Leay, who was really tired, being
+unable to close his eyes amid such a din, got up in ill-humour, and went
+to see into the cause, and to check it if he could. This, however, was
+impossible. One man was particularly forward and insolent, at whom M'Leay,
+rather imprudently, threw a piece of dirt. The savage returned the
+compliment with as much good will as it had been given, and appeared quite
+prepared to act on the offensive. At this critical moment my servant came
+to the tent in which I was washing myself, and stated his fears that we
+should soon come to blows, as the natives showed every disposition to
+resist us. On learning what had passed between M'Leay and the savage,
+I pretended to be equally angry with both, and with some difficulty forced
+the greater part of the blacks away from the tents. I then directed the
+men to gather together all the minor articles in the first instance, and
+then to strike the tents; and, in order to check the natives, I drew a
+line round the camp, over which I intimated to them they should not pass.
+Observing, I suppose, that we were on our guard, and that I, whom they
+well knew to be the chief, was really angry, they crept away one by one,
+until the island was almost deserted by them. Why they did not attack us,
+I know not, for they had certainly every disposition to do so, and had
+their shorter weapons with them, which, in so confined a space as that on
+which we were, would have been more fatal than their spears
+
+They left us, however; and a flight of red-crested cockatoos happening to
+settle on a plain near the river, I crossed in the boat in order to shoot
+one. The plain was upon the proper left bank of the Murray. The natives
+had passed over to the right. As the one channel was too shallow for the
+boat, when we again pursued our journey we were obliged to pull round to
+the left side of the island. A little above it the river makes a bend to
+the left, and the angle at this bend was occupied by a large shoal,
+one point of which rested on the upper part of the island, and the other
+touched the proper right bank of the river. Thus a narrow channel,
+(not broader indeed than was necessary for the play of our oars,) alone
+remained for us to pass up against a strong current. On turning round the
+lower part of the island, we observed that the natives occupied the whole
+extent of the shoal, and speckled it over like skirmishers. Many of them
+had their spears, and their attention was evidently directed to us.--As we
+neared the shoal, the most forward of them pressed close to the edge of
+the deep water, so much so that our oars struck their legs. Still this did
+not induce them to retire. I kept my eye on an elderly man who stood one
+of the most forward, and who motioned to us several times to stop, and at
+length threw the weapon he carried at the boat. I immediately jumped up
+and pointed my gun at him to his great apparent alarm. Whether the natives
+hoped to intimidate us by a show of numbers, or what immediate object they
+had in view, it is difficult to say; though it was most probably to seize
+a fitting opportunity to attack us. Seeing, I suppose, that we were not to
+be checked, they crossed from the shoal to the proper right bank of the
+river, and disappeared among the reeds that lined it.
+
+TREACHERY OF THE NATIVES.
+
+Shortly after this, eight of the women, whom we had not before noticed,
+came down to the water side, and gave us the most pressing invitation to
+land. Indeed they played their part uncommonly well, and tried for some
+time to allure us by the most unequivocal manifestations of love.
+Hopkinson however who always had his eyes about him, observed the spears
+of the men among the reeds. They kept abreast of us as we pulled up the
+stream, and, no doubt, were anticipating our inability to resist the
+temptations they had thrown in our way. I was really provoked at their
+barefaced treachery, and should most undoubtedly have attacked them, had
+they not precipitately retreated on being warned by the women that I was
+arming my men, which I had only now done upon seeing such strong
+manifestations of danger. M'Leay set the example of coolness on this
+occasion; and I had some doubts whether I was justified in allowing the
+natives to escape with impunity, considering that if they had wounded any
+one of us the most melancholy and fatal results would have ensued.
+
+We did not see anything more of the blacks during the rest of the day,
+but the repeated indications of hostility we perceived as we approached
+the Darling, made me apprehensive as to the reception we should meet from
+its numerous population; and I was sorry to observe that the men
+anticipated danger in passing that promising junction.
+
+Having left the sea breezes behind us, the weather had become oppressive;
+and as the current was stronger, and rapids more numerous, our labour was
+proportionably increased. We perspired to an astonishing degree, and gave
+up our oars after our turn at them, with shirts and clothes as wet as if
+we had been in the water. Indeed Mulholland and Hopkinson, who worked
+hard, poured a considerable quantity of perspiration from their shoes
+after their task. The evil of this was that we were always chilled after
+rowing, and, of course, suffered more than we should otherwise have done.
+
+RE-PASS THE LINDESAY.
+
+On the 25th we passed the last of the cliffs composing the great fossil
+bed through which the Murray flows, and entered that low country already
+described as being immediately above it. On a more attentive examination
+of the distant interior, my opinion as to its flooded origin was
+confirmed, more especially in reference to the country to the S.E. On the
+30th we passed the mouth of the Lindesay, and from the summit of the sand
+hills to the north of the Murray overlooked the flat country, through
+which I conclude it must run, from the line of fires we observed amid the
+trees, and most probably upon its banks.
+
+We did not fall in with the natives in such numbers as when we passed down
+to the coast: still they were in sufficient bodies to be troublesome.
+It would, however, appear that the tribes do not generally frequent the
+river. They must have a better country back from it, and most probably
+linger amongst the lagoons and creeks where food is more abundant. The
+fact is evident from the want of huts upon the banks of the Murray, and
+the narrowness of the paths along its margin.
+
+RE-PASSED THE RUFUS.
+
+We experienced the most oppressive heat about this time. Calms generally
+prevailed, and about 3 p.m. the sun's rays fell upon us with intense
+effect. The waters of the Murray continued extremely muddy, a circumstance
+we discovered to be owing to the turbid current of the Rufus, which we
+passed on the 1st of March. It is, really, singular whence this little
+stream originates. It will be remembered that I concluded it must have
+been swollen by rains when we first saw it; yet, after an absence of more
+than three weeks we found it discharging its waters as muddy as ever into
+the main stream; and that, too, in such quantities as to discolour its
+waters to the very lake. The reader will have some idea of the force of
+the current in both, when I assure him that for nearly fifty yards below
+the mouth of the Rufus, the waters of the Murray preserve their
+transparency, and the line between them and the turbid waters of its
+tributary was as distinctly marked as if drawn by a pencil. Indeed,
+the higher we advanced, the more did we feel the strength of the current,
+against which we had to pull.
+
+DIFFICULTIES AT THE RAPIDS.
+
+A little below the Lindesay, a rapid occurs. It was with the utmost
+difficulty that we stemmed it with the four oars upon the boat, and the
+exertion of our whole strength. We remained, at one time, perfectly
+stationary, the force we employed and that of the current being equal.
+We at length ran up the stream obliquely; but it was evident the men were
+not adequate to such exertion for any length of time. We pulled that day
+for eleven successive hours, in order to avoid a tribe of natives who
+followed us. Hopkinson and Fraser fell asleep at their oars, and even the
+heavy Clayton appeared to labour.
+
+We again occupied our camp under the first remarkable cliffs of the
+Murray, a description of which has been given in page 128 of this work.
+[GEOLOGICAL EXAMINATION.] Their summit, as I have already remarked forms a
+table land of some elevation. From it the distant interior to the S.S.E.
+appears very depressed; that to the north undulates more. In neither
+quarter, however, does any bright foliage meet the eye, to tell that a
+better soil is under it; but a dark and gloomy vegetation occupies both
+the near and distant ground, in proof that the sandy sterile tracts,
+succeeding the river deposits, stretch far away without a change.
+
+A little above our camp of the 28th of January, we fell in with a large
+tribe of natives, whose anxiety to detain us was remarkable. The wind,
+however, which, from the time we lost the sea breezes, had hung to the
+S.E., had changed to the S.W., and we were eagerly availing ourselves of
+it. It will not he supposed we stopped even for a moment. In truth we
+pressed on with great success, and did not land to sleep until nine
+o'clock. As long as the wind blew from the S.W., the days were cool, and
+the sky overcast even so much so as to threaten rain.
+
+The least circumstance, in our critical situation, naturally raised my
+apprehensions, and I feared the river would be swollen in the event of
+any heavy rains in the hilly country; I hoped, however, we should gain the
+Morumbidgee before such a calamity should happen to us, and it became
+my object to press for that river without delay.
+
+OBSTACLES TO THE NAVIGATION--DANGEROUS RAPIDS.
+
+Although we had met with frequent rapids in our progress upwards, they had
+not been of a serious kind, nor such as would affect the navigation of the
+river. The first direct obstacle of this kind occurs a little above a
+small tributary that falls into the Murray from the north, between the
+Rufus and the cliffs we have alluded to. At this place a reef of coarse
+grit contracts the channel of the river. No force we could have exerted
+with the oars would have taken us up this rapid; but we accomplished the
+task easily by means of a rope which we hauled upon, on the same principle
+that barges are dragged by horses along the canals.
+
+As we neared the junction of the two main streams, the country, on both
+sides of the river, became low, and its general appearance confirmed the
+opinion I have already given as to its flooded origin. The clouds that
+obscured the sky, and had threatened to burst for some time, at length
+gave way, and we experienced two or three days of heavy rain. In the midst
+of it we passed the second stage of our journey, and found the spot lately
+so crowded with inhabitants totally deserted. A little above it we
+surprised a small tribe in a temporary shelter; but neither our offers nor
+presents could prevail on any of them to expose themselves to the torrent
+that was falling. They sat shivering in their bark huts in evident
+astonishment at our indifference. We threw them some trifling presents and
+were glad to proceed unattended by any of them.
+
+PERILOUS ASCENT OF THE RAPIDS.
+
+It will he remembered that in passing down the river, the boat was placed
+in some danger in descending a rapid before we reached the junction of the
+Murray with the stream supposed by me to be the Darling. We were now
+gradually approaching the rapid, nor did I well know how we should
+surmount such an obstacle. Strength to pull up it we had not, and I feared
+our ropes would not be long enough to reach to the shore over some of the
+rocks, since it descended in minor declivities to a considerable distance
+below the principal rapid, in the centre of which the boat had struck.
+We reached the commencement of these rapids on the 6th, and ascended the
+first by means of ropes, which were hauled upon by three of the men from
+the bank; and, as the day was pretty far advanced, we stopped a little
+above it, that we might attempt the principal rapid before we should be
+exhausted by previous exertion. It was fortunate that we took such a
+precaution. The morning of the 7th proved extremely dark, and much rain
+fell. We commenced our journey in the midst of it, and soon gained the
+tail of the rapid. Our attempt to pull up it completely failed. The boat,
+as soon as she entered the ripple, spun round like a toy, and away we went
+with the stream. As I had anticipated, our ropes were too short; and it
+only remained for us to get into the water, and haul the boat up by main
+force. We managed pretty well at first, and drew her alongside a rock to
+rest a little. We then recommenced our efforts, and had got into the
+middle of the channel. We were up to our armpits in the water, and only
+kept our position by means of rocks beside us. The rain was falling, as if
+we were in a tropical shower, and the force of the current was such, that
+if we had relaxed for an instant, we should have lost all the ground we
+had gained. Just at this moment, however, without our being aware of their
+approach, a large tribe of natives, with their spears, lined the bank,
+and took us most completely by surprise. At no time during this anxious
+journey were we ever so completely in their power, or in so defenceless a
+situation. It rained so hard, that our firelocks would have been of no
+use, and had they attacked us, we must necessarily have been slaughtered
+without committing the least execution upon them. Nothing, therefore,
+remained for us but to continue our exertions. It required only one
+strong effort to get the boat into still water for a time, but that effort
+was beyond our strength, and we stood in the stream, powerless and
+exhausted.
+
+ASSISTED BY THE NATIVES.
+
+The natives, in the meanwhile, resting on their spears, watched us with
+earnest attention. One of them, who was sitting close to the water, at
+length called to us, and we immediately recognised the deep voice of him
+to whose singular interference we were indebted for our escape on the
+23rd of January. I desired Hopkinson to swim over to him, and to explain
+that we wanted assistance. This was given without hesitation; and we at
+length got under the lea of the rock, which I have already described as
+being in the centre of the river. The natives launched their bark canoes,
+the only frail means they possess of crossing the rivers with their
+children. These canoes are of the simplest construction and rudest
+materials, being formed of an oblong piece of bark, the ends of which are
+stuffed with clay, so as to render them impervious to the water. With
+several of these they now paddled round us with the greatest care, making
+their spears, about ten feet in length,(which they use at once as poles
+and paddles,) bend nearly double in the water. We had still the most
+difficult part of the rapid to ascend, where the rush of water was the
+strongest, and where the decline of the bed almost amounted to a fall.
+Here the blacks could be of no use to us. No man could stem the current,
+supposing it to have been shallow at the place, but it was on the contrary
+extremely deep. Remaining myself in the boat, I directed all the men to
+land, after we had crossed the stream, upon a large rock that formed the
+left buttress as it were to this sluice, and, fastening the rope to the
+mast instead of her head, they pulled upon it. The unexpected rapidity
+with which the boat shot up the passage astonished me, and filled the
+natives with wonder, who testified their admiration of so dextrous a
+manoeuvre, by a loud shout.
+
+It will, no doubt, have struck the reader as something very remarkable,
+that the same influential savage to whom we had already been indebted,
+should have been present on this occasion, and at a moment when we so much
+needed his assistance. Having surmounted our difficulties, we took leave
+of this remarkable man, and pursued our journey up the river.
+
+It may be imagined we did not proceed very far; the fact was, we only
+pushed forward to get rid of the natives, for, however pacific, they were
+always troublesome, and we were seldom fitted for a trial of temper after
+the labours of the day were concluded. The men had various occupations
+in which, when the natives were present, they were constantly interrupted,
+and whenever the larger tribes slept near us, the utmost vigilance was
+necessary on the part of the night-guard, which was regularly mounted as
+soon as the tents were pitched. We had had little else than our flour to
+subsist on. Hopkinson and Harris endeavoured to supply M'Leay and myself
+with a wild fowl occasionally, but for themselves, and the other men,
+nothing could be procured to render their meal more palatable.
+
+GOOD CONDUCT OF THE MEN.
+
+I have omitted to mention one remarkable trait of the good disposition of
+all the men while on the coast. Our sugar had held out to that point; but
+it appeared, when we examined the stores, that six pounds alone remained
+in the cask. This the men positively refused to touch. They said that,
+divided, it would benefit nobody; that they hoped M'Leay and I would use
+it, that it would last us for some time, and that they were better able to
+submit to privations than we were. The feeling did them infinite credit,
+and the circumstance is not forgotten by me. The little supply the
+kindness of our men left to us was, however, soon exhausted, and poor
+M'Leay preferred pure water to the bitter draught that remained. I have
+been some times unable to refrain from smiling, as I watched the distorted
+countenances of my humble companions while drinking their tea and eating
+their damper.
+
+The ducks and swans, seen in such myriads on the lake, seldom appeared on
+the river, in the first stages of our journey homewards. About the time of
+which I am writing, however, a few swans occasionally flew over our heads
+at night, and their silvery note was musically sweet.
+
+From the 10th to the 15th, nothing of moment occurred: we pulled regularly
+from day-light to dark, not less to avoid the natives than to shorten our
+journey. Yet, notwithstanding that we moved at an hour when the natives
+seldom stir, we were rarely without a party of them, who followed us in
+spite of our efforts to tire them out.
+
+MOLESTED BY NATIVES.
+
+On the 15th, we had about 150 at our camp. Many of them were extremely
+noisy, and the whole of them very restless. They lay down close to the
+tents, or around our fire. I entertained some suspicion of them, and when
+they were apparently asleep, I watched them narrowly. Macnamee was walking
+up and down with his firelock, and every time he turned his back, one of
+the natives rose gently up and poised his spear at him, and as soon as
+he thought Macnamee was about to trim, he dropped as quietly into his
+place. When I say the native got up, I do not mean that he stood up, but
+that he raised himself sufficiently for the purpose he had in view. His
+spear would not, therefore, have gone with much force, but I determined
+it should not quit his hand, for had I observed any actual attempt to
+throw it, I should unquestionably have shot him dead upon the spot.
+The whole of the natives were awake, and it surprised me they did not
+attempt to plunder us. They rose with the earliest dawn, and crowded round
+the tents without any hesitation. We, consequently, thought it prudent to
+start as soon as we had breakfasted.
+
+FRASER IN DANGER.
+
+We had all of us got into the boat, when Fraser remembered he had left his
+powder-horn on shore. In getting out to fetch it, he had to push through
+the natives. On his return, when his back was towards them, several
+natives lifted their spears together, and I was so apprehensive they
+would have transfixed him, that I called out before I seized my gun; on
+which they lowered their weapons and ran away. The disposition to commit
+personal violence was evident from these repeated acts of treachery; and
+we should doubtless have suffered from it on some occasion or other, had
+we not been constantly on the alert.
+
+We had been drawing nearer the Morumbidgee every day. This was the last
+tribe we saw on the Murray; and the following afternoon, to our great joy,
+we quitted it and turned our boat into the gloomy and narrow channel of
+its tributary. Our feelings were almost as strong when we re-entered it,
+as they had been when we were launched from it into that river, on whose
+waters we had continued for upwards of fifty-five days; during which
+period, including the sweeps and bends it made, we could not have
+travelled less than 1500 miles.
+
+Our provisions were now running very short; we had, however, "broken the
+neck of our journey," as the men said, and we looked anxiously to gaining
+the depot; for we were not without hopes that Robert Harris would have
+pushed forward to it with his supplies. We were quite puzzled on entering
+the Morumbidgee, how to navigate its diminutive bends and its encumbered
+channel. I thought poles would have been more convenient than oars; we
+therefore stopped at an earlier hour than usual to cut some. Calling to
+mind the robbery practised on us shortly after we left the depot, my mind
+became uneasy as to Robert Harris's safety, since I thought it probable,
+from the sulky disposition of the natives who had visited us there, that
+he might have been attacked. Thus, when my apprehensions on our own
+account had partly ceased, my fears became excited with regard to him and
+his party.
+
+RE-ENTER THE MORUMBIDGEE.
+
+The country, to a considerable distance from the junction on either side
+the Morumbidgee, is not subject to inundation. Wherever we landed upon its
+banks, we found the calistemma in full flower, and in the richest
+profusion. There was, also, an abundance of grass, where before there had
+been no signs of vegetation, and those spots which we had condemned as
+barren were now clothed with a green and luxuriant carpet. So difficult is
+it to judge of a country on a partial and hurried survey, and so
+differently does it appear at different periods. I was rejoiced to find
+that the rains had not swollen the river, for I was apprehensive that
+heavy falls had taken place in the mountains, and was unprepared for so
+much good fortune.
+
+FEAST ON A SWAN.
+
+The poles we cut were of no great use to us, and we soon laid them aside,
+and took to our oars. Fortune seemed to favour us exceedingly. The men
+rallied, and we succeeded in killing a good fat swan, that served as a
+feast for all. I imagine the absence of mud and weeds of every kind in
+the Murray, prevents this bird from frequenting its waters.
+
+On the 18th, we found ourselves entering the reedy country, through which
+we had passed with such doubt and anxiety. Every object elicited some
+remark from the men, and I was sorry to find they reckoned with certainty
+on seeing Harris at the depot, as I knew they would be proportionally
+depressed in spirits if disappointed. However, I promised Clayton a good
+repast as soon as we should see him.
+
+LOSE ONE OF OUR DOGS.
+
+I had walked out with M'Leay a short distance from the river, and had
+taken the dogs. They followed us to the camp on our return to it, but the
+moment they saw us enter the tent, they went off to hunt by themselves.
+About 10 p.m., one of them, Bob, came to the fire, and appeared very
+uneasy; he remained, for a short time, and then went away. In about an
+hour, he returned, and after exhibiting the same restlessness, again
+withdrew. He returned the third time before morning dawned, but returned
+alone. The men on the watch were very stupid not to have followed him,
+for, no doubt, he went to his companion, to whom, most likely, some
+accident had happened. I tried to make him show, but could not succeed,
+and, after a long search, reluctantly pursued our journey, leaving poor
+Sailor to his fate. This was the only misfortune that befell us, and we
+each of us felt the loss of an animal which had participated in all our
+dangers and privations. I more especially regretted the circumstance for
+the sake of the gentleman who gave him to me, and, on account of his
+superior size and activity.
+
+ENCOUNTER WITH NATIVES.
+
+With the loss of poor Sailor, our misfortunes re-commmenced. I anticipated
+some trouble hereabouts, for, having succeeded in their hardihood once,
+I knew the natives would again attempt to rob us, and that we should have
+some difficulty in keeping them off. As soon as they found out that we
+were in the river, they came to us, but left us at sunset. This was on the
+21st. At nightfall, I desired the watch to keep a good look out, and
+M'Leay and I went to lie down. We had chosen an elevated bank for our
+position, and immediately opposite to us there was a small space covered
+with reeds, under blue-gum trees. About 11, Hopkinson came to the tent to
+say, that he was sure the blacks were approaching through the reeds.
+M'Leay and I got up, and, standing on the bank, listened attentively.
+All we heard was the bark of a native dog apparently, but this was, in
+fact, a deception on the part of the blacks. We made no noise, in
+consequence of which they gradually approached, and two or three crept
+behind the trunk of a tree that had fallen. As I thought they were near
+enough, George M'Leay, by my desire, fired a charge of small shot at them.
+They instantly made a precipitate retreat; but, in order the more
+effectually to alarm them, Hopkinson fired a ball into the reeds, which we
+distinctly heard cutting its way through them. All was quiet until about
+three o'clock, when a poor wretch who, most probably, had thrown himself
+on the ground when the shots were fired, at length mustered courage to get
+up and effect his escape.
+
+In the morning, the tribe kept aloof, but endeavoured, by the most earnest
+entreaties, and most pitiable howling, to gain our favour; but I
+threatened to shoot any that approached, and they consequently kept at a
+respectful distance, dogging us from tree to tree. It appeared, therefore,
+that they were determined to keep us in view, no doubt, with the intention
+of trying what they could do by a second attempt. As they went along,
+their numbers increased, and towards evening, they amounted to a strong
+tribe. Still they did not venture near us, and only now and then showed
+themselves. Our situation at this moment would have been much more awkward
+in the event of attack, than when we were in the open channel of the
+Murray; because we were quite at the mercy of the natives if they had
+closed upon us, and, being directly under the banks, should have received
+every spear, while it would have been easy for them to have kept out of
+sight in assailing us.
+
+APPARENT OBSTRUCTION OF THE CHANNEL.
+
+It was near sunset, the men were tired, and I was looking out for a
+convenient place at which to rest, intending to punish these natives if
+they provoked me, or annoyed the men. We had not seen any of them for some
+time, when Hopkinson, who was standing in the bow of the boat, informed me
+that they had thrown boughs across the river to prevent our passage.
+I was exceedingly indignant at this, and pushed on, intending to force the
+barrier. On our nearer approach, a solitary black was observed standing
+close to the river, and abreast of the impediment which I imagined they
+had raised to our further progress. I threatened to shoot this man, and
+pointed to the branches that stretched right across the stream. The poor
+fellow uttered not a word, but, putting his hand behind him, pulled out a
+tomahawk from his belt, and held it towards me, by way of claiming our
+acquaintance; and any anger was soon entirely appeased by discovering that
+the natives had been merely setting a net across the river which these
+branches supported. We, consequently, hung back, until they had drawn it,
+and then passed on.
+
+MANOEUVRES OF THE NATIVES TO ROB THE BOAT AT NIGHT.
+
+The black to whom I had spoken so roughly, cut across a bight of the
+river, and walking down to the side of the water with a branch in his
+hand, in mark of confidence, presented me with a fishing net. We were
+highly pleased at the frank conduct of this black, and a convenient place
+offering itself, we landed and pitched our tents. Our friend, who was
+about forty, brought his two wives, and a young man, to us: and at length
+the other blacks mustered courage to approach; but those who had followed
+us from the last camp, kept on the other side of the river. On pretence of
+being different families, they separated into small bodies, and formed a
+regular cordon round our camp. We foresaw that this was a manoeuvre, but,
+in hopes that if I forgave the past they would desist from further
+attempts, M'Leay took great pains in conciliating them, and treated them
+with great kindness. We gave each family some fire and same presents, and
+walked together to them by turns, to show that we had equal confidence in
+all. Our friend had posted himself immediately behind our tents, at twenty
+yards distance, with his little family, and kept altogether aloof from the
+other natives. Having made our round of visits, and examined the various
+modes the women had of netting, M'Leay and I went into our tent.
+
+It happened, fortunately, that my servant, Harris, was the first for
+sentry. I told him to keep a watchful eye on the natives, and to call me
+if any thing unusual occurred. We had again chosen a lofty bank for our
+position; behind us there was a small plain, of about a quarter of a mile
+in breadth, backed by a wood. I was almost asleep, when my servant came to
+inform me, that the blacks had, with one accord, made a precipitate
+retreat, and that not one of them was to be seen at the fires. I impressed
+the necessity of attention upon him, and he again went to his post.
+shortly after this, he returned: "Master," said he, "the natives are
+coming." I jumped up, and, taking my gun, followed him, leaving my friend
+George fast asleep. I would not disturb him, until necessity required, for
+he had ever shown himself so devoted to duty as to deserve every
+consideration. Harris led me a little way from the tents, and then
+stopping, and pointing down the river, said, "There, sir, don't you see
+them?" "Not I, indeed, Harris," I replied, "where do you mean? are you
+sure you see them?" "Positive, sir," said he; "stoop and you will see
+them." I did so, and saw a black mass in an opening. Convinced that I saw
+them, I desired Harris to follow me, but not to fire unless I should give
+the word. The rascals would not stand our charge, however, but retreated
+as we advanced towards them. We then returned to the tents, and,
+commending my servant for his vigilance, I once more threw myself on my
+bed. I had scarcely lain down five minutes, when Harris called out,
+"The blacks are close to me, sir; shall I fire at them?" "How far are
+they?" I asked. "Within ten yards, sir." "Then fire," said I; and
+immediately he did so. M'Leay and I jumped up to his assistance. "Well,
+Harris," said I, "did you kill your man?" (he is a remarkably good shot.)
+"No, sir," said he, "I thought you would repent it, so I fired between the
+two." "Where were they, man?" said I. "Close to the boat, sir; and when
+they heard me, they swam into the river, and dived as soon as I fired
+between them." This account was verified by one of them puffing as he rose
+below us, over whose head I fired a shot. Where the other got to I could
+not tell. This watchfulness, on our part, however, prevented any further
+attempts during the night.
+
+I was much pleased at the coolness of my servant, as well as his
+consideration; and relieving him from his post, desired Hopkinson to take
+it. I have no doubt that the approach of the natives, in the first
+instance, was made with a view to draw us off from the camp, while some
+others might rob the boat. If so, it was a good manoeuvre, and might have
+succeeded.
+
+NATIVES DESERT THEIR WEAPONS--INGENUOUS CONDUCT OF A NATIVE.
+
+In the morning, we found the natives had left all their ponderous spears
+at their fires, which were broken up and burnt. We were surprised to find
+that our friend had left every thing in like manner behind him--his
+spears, his nets, and his tomahawk; but as he had kept so wholly aloof
+from the other blacks, I thought it highly improbable that he had joined
+them, and the men were of opinion that he had retreated across the plain
+into the wood. On looking in that direction we observed some smoke rising
+among the trees at a little distance from the outskirts of the plain, and
+under an impression that I should find the native at the fire with his
+family, I took his spears and tomahawk, and walked across the plain,
+unattended into the wood. I had not entered it more than fifty yards when
+I saw a group of four natives, sitting round a small fire. One of them,
+as I approached, rose up and met me, and in him I recognised the man for
+whom I was seeking. When near enough, I stuck the spears upright into the
+ground. The poor man stood thunderstruck; he spoke not, he moved not,
+neither did he raise his eyes from the ground. I had kept the tomahawk out
+of his sight, but I now produced and offered it to him. He gave a short
+exclamation as his eyes caught sight of it, but he remained otherwise
+silent before me, and refused to grasp the tomahawk, which accordingly
+fell to the ground. I had evidently excited the man's feelings, but it is
+difficult to say how he was affected. His manner indicated shame and
+surprise, and the sequel will prove that both these feelings must have
+possessed him. While we were thus standing together, his two wives came
+up, to whom, after pointing to the spears and tomahawk, he said something,
+without, however, looking at me; and they both instantly burst into tears
+and wept aloud. I was really embarrassed during so unexpected a scene,
+and to break it, invited the native to the camp, but I motioned with my
+hand, as I had not my gun with me, that I would shoot any other of the
+blacks who followed me. He distinctly understood my meaning, and intimated
+as distinctly to me that they should not follow us; nor did they. We were
+never again molested by them.
+
+I left him then, and, returning to the camp, told M'Leay my adventure,
+with which he was highly delighted. My object is this procedure was to
+convince the natives, generally, that we came not among them to injure or
+to molest them, as well as to impress them with an idea of our superior
+intelligence; and I am led to indulge the hope that I succeeded. Certain
+it is, that an act of justice or of lenity has frequently, if well timed,
+more weight than the utmost stretch of severity. With savages, more
+particularly, to exhibit any fear, distrust, or irresolution, will
+inevitably prove injurious.
+
+But although these adventures were happily not attended with bloodshed,
+they harassed the men much; and our camp for near a week was more like an
+outpost picquet than any thing else. This, however, terminated all
+attempts on the part of the natives. From henceforth none of them followed
+us on our route.
+
+BREACH THE DEPOT.
+
+At noon, I stopped about a mile short of the depot to take sights. After
+dinner we pulled on, the men looking earnestly out for their comrades whom
+they had left there, but none appeared. My little arbour, in which I had
+written my letters, was destroyed, and the bank on which out tents had
+stood was wholly deserted. We landed, however, and it was a satisfaction
+to me to see the homeward track of the drays. The men were sadly
+disappointed, and poor Clayton, who had anticipated a plentiful meal, was
+completely chop fallen. M'Leay and I comforted them daily with the hopes
+of meeting the drays, which I did not think improbable.
+
+Thus, it will appear, that we regained the place from which we started in
+seventy-seven days, during which, we could not have pulled less than 2000
+miles. It is not for me, however, to make any comment, either on the
+dangers to which we were occasionally exposed, or the toil and privations
+we continually experienced in the course of this expedition. My duty is,
+simply to give a plain narrative of facts, which I have done with
+fidelity, and with as much accuracy as circumstances would permit. Had we
+found Robert Harris at the depot, I should have considered it unnecessary
+to trespass longer on the patient reader, but as our return to that post
+did not relieve us from our difficulties, it remains for me to carry on
+the narrative of our proceedings to the time when we reached the upper
+branches of the Morumbidgee.
+
+DISAPPOINTED OF SUPPLIES.
+
+The hopes that had buoyed up the spirits of the men, ceased to operate as
+soon as they were discovered to have been ill founded. The most gloomy
+ideas took possession of their minds, and they fancied that we had been
+neglected, and that Harris had remained in Sydney. It was to no purpose
+that I explained to them that my instructions did not bind Harris to come
+beyond Pondebadgery, and that I was confident he was then encamped upon
+that plain.
+
+We had found the intricate navigation of the Morumbidgee infinitely more
+distressing than the hard pulling up the open reaches of the Murray, for
+we were obliged to haul the boat up between numberless trunks of trees,
+an operation that exhausted the men much more than rowing. The river had
+fallen below its former level, and rocks and logs were now exposed above
+the water, over many of which the boat's keel must have grazed, as we
+passed down with the current. I really shuddered frequently, at seeing
+these complicated dangers, and I was at a loss to conceive how we could
+have escaped them. The planks of our boat were so thin that if she had
+struck forcibly against any one branch of the hundreds she must have
+grazed, she would inevitably have been rent asunder from stem to stern.
+
+COMPLETE EXHAUSTION OF THE MEN--ONE LOSES HIS SENSES.
+
+The day after we passed the depot, on our return, we began to experience
+the effects of the rains that had fallen in the mountains. The Morumbidgee
+rose upon us six feet in one night, and poured along its turbid waters
+with proportionate violence. For seventeen days we pulled against them
+with determined perseverance, but human efforts, under privations such as
+ours, tend to weaken themselves, and thus it was that the men began to
+exhibit the effects of severe and unremitting toil. Our daily journeys
+were short, and the head we made against the stream but trifling. The men
+lost the proper and muscular jerk with which they once made the waters
+foam and the oars bend. Their whole bodies swung with an awkward and
+laboured motion. Their arms appeared to be nerveless; their faces became
+haggard, their persons emaciated, their spirits wholly sunk; nature was so
+completely overcome, that from mere exhaustion they frequently fell asleep
+during their painful and almost ceaseless exertions. It grieved me to the
+heart to see them in such a state at the close of so perilous a service,
+and I began to reproach Robert Harris that he did not move down the river
+to meet us; but, in fact, he was not to blame. I became captious, and
+found fault where there was no occasion, and lost the equilibrium of my
+temper in contemplating the condition of my companions. No murmur,
+however, escaped them, nor did a complaint reach me, that was intended to
+indicate that they had done all they could do. I frequently heard them in
+their tent, when they thought I had dropped asleep, complaining of severe
+pains and of great exhaustion. "I must tell the captain, tomorrow," some
+of them would say, "that I can pull no more." To-marrow came, and they
+pulled on, as if reluctant to yield to circumstances. Macnamee at length
+lost his senses. We first observed this from his incoherent conversation,
+but eventually from manner. He related the most extraordinary tales, and
+fidgeted about eternally while in the boat. I felt it necessary,
+therefore, to relieve him from the oars.
+
+Amidst these distresses, M'Leay preserved his good humour, and endeavoured
+to lighten the task, and to cheer the men as much as possible. His
+presence at this time was a source of great comfort to me. The uniform
+kindness with which he had treated his companions, gave him an influence
+over them now, and it was exerted with the happiest effect.
+
+DESPATCH TWO MEN TO PONDEBADGERY.
+
+On the 8th and 9th of April we had heavy rain, but there was no respite
+for us. Our provisions were nearly consumed, and would have been wholly
+exhausted, if we had not been so fortunate as to kill several swans. On
+the 11th, we gained our camp opposite to Hamilton's Plains, after a day of
+severe exertion. Our tents were pitched upon the old ground, and the marks
+of our cattle were around us. In the evening, the men went out with their
+guns, and M'Leay and I walked to the rear of the camp, to consult
+undisturbed as to the moat prudent measures to be adopted, under our
+embarrassing circumstances. The men were completely sunk. We were still
+between eighty and ninety miles from Pondebadgery, in a direct line, and
+nearly treble that distance by water. The task was greater than we could
+perform, and our provisions were insufficient. In this extremity I thought
+it best to save the men the mortification of yielding, by abandoning the
+boat; and on further consideration, I determined on sending Hopkinson and
+Mulholland, whose devotion, intelligence, and indefatigable spirits,
+I well knew, forward to the plain.
+
+The joy this intimation spread was universal, Both Hopkinson and
+Mulholland readily undertook the journey, and I, accordingly, prepared
+orders for them to start by the earliest dawn. It was not without a
+feeling of sorrow that I witnessed the departure of these two men, to
+encounter a fatiguing march. I had no fears as to their gaining the plain,
+if their reduced state would permit them. On the other hand, I hoped they
+would fall in with our old friend the black, or that they would meet the
+drays; and I could not but admire the spirit and energy they both
+displayed upon the occasion. Their behaviour throughout had been such as
+to awaken in my breast a feeling of the highest approbation. Their
+conduct, indeed, exceeded all praise, nor did they hesitate one moment
+when I called upon them to undertake this last trying duty, after such
+continued exertion. I am sure the reader will forgive me for bringing
+under his notice the generous efforts of these two men; by me it can never
+be forgotten.
+
+ABANDON AND BURN THE BOAT.
+
+Six days had passed since their departure; we remaining encamped. M'Leay
+and myself had made some short excursions, but without any result worthy
+of notice. A group of sand-hills rose in the midst of the alluvial
+deposits, about a quarter of a mile from the tents, that were covered with
+coarse grasses and banksias. We shot several intertropical birds feeding
+in the latter, and sucking the honey from their flowers. I had, in the
+mean time, directed Clayton to make some plant cases of the upper planks
+of the boat, and then to set fire to her, for she was wholly
+unserviceable, and I felt a reluctance to leave her like a neglected log
+on the water. The last ounce of flour had been served out to the men, and
+the whole of it was consumed on the sixth day from that on which we had
+abandoned the boat. I had calculated on seeing Hopkinson again in eight
+days, but as the morrow would see us without food, I thought, as the men
+had had a little rest it would be better to advance towards relief than to
+await its arrival.
+
+MEN RETURN WITH SUPPLIES.
+
+On the evening of the 18th, therefore, we buried our specimens and other
+stores, intending to break up the camp in the morning. A singular bird,
+which invariably passed it at an hour after sunset, and which, from its
+heavy flight, appeared to be of unusual size so attracted my notice, that
+in the evening M'Leay and I crossed the river, in hope to get a shot at
+it. We had, however, hardly landed on the other side, when a loud shout
+called us back to witness the return of our comrades.
+
+They were both of them in a state that beggars description. Their knees
+and ankles were dreadfully swollen, and their limbs so painful, that as
+soon as they arrived in the camp they sunk under their efforts, but they
+met us with smiling countenances, and expressed their satisfaction at
+having arrived so seasonably to our relief. They had, as I had foreseen,
+found Robert Harris on the plain, which they reached on the evening of the
+third day. They had started early the next morning on their return with
+such supplies as they thought we might immediately want. Poor Macnamee
+had in a great measure recovered, but for same days he was sullen and
+silent: sight of the drays gave him uncommon satisfaction. Clayton gorged
+himself; but M'Leay, myself and Fraser could not at first relish the meat
+that was placed before us.
+
+It was determined to give the bullocks a day of rest, and I availed myself
+of the serviceable state of the horses to visit some hills about eighteen
+miles to the northward. I was anxious to gain a view of the distant
+country to the N.W., and to ascertain the geological character of the
+hills themselves. M'Leay, Fraser, and myself left the camp early in the
+morning of the 19th, on our way to them. Crossing the sand hills, we
+likewise passed a creek, and, from the flooded or alluvial tracks, got on
+an elevated sandy country, in which we found a beautiful grevillia. From
+this we passed a barren ridge of quartz-formation, terminating in open box
+forest. From it we descended and traversed a plain that must, at some
+periods, be almost impassable. It was covered with acacia pendula, and the
+soil was a red earth, bare of vegetation in many places. At its extremity
+we came to some stony ridges, and, descending their northern side, gained
+the base of the hills. They were more extensive than they appeared to be
+from our camp; and were about six hundred feet in height, and composed of
+a conglomerate rock. They were extremely barren, nor did the aspect of the
+country seem to indicate a favourable change. I was enabled, however, to
+connect my line of route with the more distant hills between the
+Morumbidgee and the Lachlan. We returned to the camp at midnight.
+
+MEET WITH THE DRAYS.
+
+On the following morning we left our station before Hamilton's Plains.
+We reached Pondebadgery on the 28th, and found Robert Harris, with a
+plentiful supply of provisions. He had everything extremely regular, and
+had been anxiously expecting our return, of which he at length wholly
+despaired. He had been at the plain two months, and intended to have moved
+down the river immediately, had we not made our appearance when we did.
+
+I had sent M'Leay forward on the 20th with letters to the Governor, whose
+anxiety was great on our account. I remained for a fortnight on the plain
+to restore the men, but Hopkinson had so much over-exerted himself that it
+was with difficulty he crawled along.
+
+In my despatches to the Governor, from the depot, I had suggested the
+policy of distributing some blankets and other presents to the natives on
+the Morumbidgee, in order to reward those who had been useful to our
+party, and in the hope of proving beneficial to settlers in that distant
+part of the colony. His Excellency was kind enough to accede to my
+request, and I found ample means for these purposes among the stores that
+Harris brought from Sydney.
+
+We left Pondebadgery Plain early on the 5th of May, and reached Guise's
+Station late in the afternoon. We gained Yass Plains on the 12th, having
+struck through the mountain passes by a direct line, instead of returning
+by our old route near Underaliga. As the party was crossing the plains I
+rode to see Mr. O'Brien, but did not find him at home.
+
+INSTANCE OF CANNIBALISM.
+
+While waiting at his hut, one of the stockmen pointed out two blacks to me
+at a little distance from us. The one was standing, the other sitting.
+"That fellow, sir," said he, "who is sitting down, killed his infant child
+last night by knocking its head against a stone, after which he threw it
+on the fire and then devoured it." I was quite horror struck, and could
+scarcely believe such a story. I therefore went up to the man and
+questioned him as to the fact, as well as I could. He did not attempt to
+deny it, but slunk away in evident consciousness. I then questioned the
+other that remained, whose excuse for his friend was that the child was
+sick and would never have grown up, adding he himself did not PELTER (eat)
+any of it.
+
+Many of my readers may probably doubt this horrid occurrence having taken
+place, as I have not mentioned any corroborating circumstances. I am
+myself, however, as firmly persuaded of the truth of what I have stated as
+if I had seen the savage commit the act; for I talked to his companion who
+did see him, and who described to me the manner in which he killed the
+child. Be it as it may, the very mention of such a thing among these
+people goes to prove that they are capable of such an enormity.
+
+We left Yass Plains on the 14th of May, and reached Sydney by easy stages
+on the 25th, after an absence of nearly six months.
+
+
+* * * * *
+
+
+CONCLUDING REMARKS.
+
+
+To most of my readers, the foregoing narrative will appear little else
+than a succession of adventures. Whilst the expedition was toiling down
+the rivers, no rich country opened upon the view to reward or to cheer the
+perseverance of those who composed it, and when, at length, the land of
+promise lay smiling before them, their strength and their means were too
+much exhausted to allow of their commencing an examination, of the result
+of which there could be but little doubt. The expedition returned to
+Sydney, without any splendid discovery to gild its proceedings; and the
+labours and dangers it had encountered were considered as nothing more
+than ordinary occurrences. If I myself had entertained hopes that my
+researches would have benefited the colony, I was wholly disappointed.
+There is a barren tract of country lying to the westward of the Blue
+Mountains that will ever divide the eastern coast from the more central
+parts of Australia, as completely as if seas actually rolled between them.
+
+GEOGRAPHICAL REMARKS.
+
+In a geographical point of view, however, nothing could have been more
+satisfactory, excepting an absolute knowledge of the country to the
+northward between the Murray and the Darling, than the results of the
+expedition. I have in its proper place stated, as fairly as I could, my
+reasons for supposing the principal junction (which I consequently left
+without a name) to be the Darling of my former journey, as well as the
+various arguments that bore against such a conclusion.
+
+Of course, where there is so much room for doubt, opinions will be
+various. I shall merely review the subject, in order to connect subsequent
+events with my previous observations, and to give the reader a full idea
+of that which struck me to be the case on a close and anxious
+investigation of the country from mountain to lowland. I returned from the
+Macquarie with doubts on my mind as to the ultimate direction to which the
+waters of the Darling river might ultimately flow; for, with regard to
+every other point, the question was, I considered, wholly decided. But,
+with regard to that singular stream, I was, from the little knowledge I
+had obtained, puzzled as to its actual course; and I thought it as likely
+that it might turn into the heart of the interior, as that it would make
+to the south. It had not, however, escaped my notice, that the northern
+rivers turned more abruptly southward (after gaining a certain distance
+from the base of the ranges) than the more southern streams: near the
+junction of the Castlereagh with the Darling especially, the number of
+large creeks joining the first river from the north, led me to conclude
+that there was at that particular spot a rapid fall of country to the
+south.
+
+The first thing that strengthened in my mind this half-formed opinion, was
+the fall of the Lachlan into the Morumbidgee. I had been told that
+Australia was a basin; that an unbroken range of hills lined its coasts,
+the internal rivers of which fell into its centre, and contributed to the
+formation of an inland sea; I was not therefore prepared to find a break
+in the chain--a gap as it were for the escape of these waters to the
+coast.
+
+Subsequently to our entrance into the Murray, the remarkable efforts of
+that river to maintain a southerly course were observed even by the men,
+and the singular runs it made to the south, when unchecked by high lands,
+clearly evinced its natural tendency to flow in that direction.
+
+Had we found ourselves at an elevation above the bed of the Darling when
+we reached the junction of the principal tributary with the Murray, I
+should still have had doubts on my mind as to the identity of that
+tributary with the first-mentioned river; but considering the trifling
+elevation of the Darling above the sea, and that the junction was still
+less elevated above it, I cannot bring myself to believe that the former
+alters its course. It is not, however, on this simple geographical
+principle that I have built my conclusions; other corroborative
+circumstances have tended also to confirm in my mind the opinion I have
+already given, not only of the comparatively recent appearance above
+the ocean of the level country over which I had passed, but that the true
+dip of the interior is from north to south.
+
+In support of the first of these conclusions, it would appear that a
+current of water must have swept the vast accumulation of shells, forming
+the great fossil bank through which the Murray passes from the northern
+extremity of the continent, to deposit them where they are; and it would
+further appear from the gradual rise of this bed, on an inclined plain
+from N.N.E. to S.S.W., that it must in the first instance, have swept
+along the base of the ranges, but ultimately turned into the above
+direction by the convexity of the mountains at the S.E. angle of the
+coast. From the circumstance, moreover, of the summit of the fossil
+formation being in places covered with oyster shells, the fact of the
+whole mass having been under water is indisputable, and leads us naturally
+to the conclusion that the depressed interior beyond it must have been
+under water at the same time.
+
+It was proved by barometrical admeasurement, that the cataract of the
+Macquarie was 680 feet above the level of the sea, and, in like manner,
+it was found that the depot of Mr. Oxley, on the Lachlan, was only 500,
+there being a still greater fall of country beyond these two points.
+The maximum height of the fossil bank was 300 feet; and if we suppose a
+line to be drawn from its top to the eastward, that line would pass over
+the marshes of the two rivers, and would cut them at a point below which
+they both gradually diminish. Hence I am brought to conclude that in
+former times the sea washed the western base of the dividing ranges, at or
+near the two points whose respective elevations I have given; and that
+when the mass of land now lying waste and unproductive, became exposed,
+the rivers, which until then had pursued a regular course to the ocean,
+having no channel beyond their original termination, overflowed the almost
+level country into which they now fall; or, filling some extensive
+concavity, have contributed, by successive depositions, to the formation
+of those marshes of which so much has been said. I regret extremely, that
+my defective vision prevents me giving a slight sketch to elucidate
+whet I fear I have, in words, perhaps, failed in making sufficiently
+intelligible.
+
+GEOLOGICAL REMARKS.
+
+Now, as we know not by what means the changes that have taken place on the
+earth's surface have been effected, and can only reason on them from
+analogy, it is to be feared we shall never arrive at any clear
+demonstration of the truth of our surmises with regard to geographical
+changes, whether extensive or local, since the causes which produced them
+will necessarily have ceased to operate. We cannot refer to the dates when
+they took place, as we may do in regard to the eruptions of a volcano,
+or the appearance or disappearance of an island. Such events are of minor
+importance. Those mighty changes to which I would be understood to allude,
+can hardly be laid to the account of chemical agency. We can easily
+comprehend how subterranean fires will occasionally burst forth, and can
+thus satisfactorily account for earthquake or volcano; but it is not to
+any clashing of properties, or to any visible causes, that the changes of
+which I speak can be attributed. They appear rather as the consequences of
+direct agency, of an invisible power, not as the occasional and fretful
+workings of nature herself. The marks of that awful catastrophe which so
+nearly extinguished the human race, are every day becoming more and more
+visible as geological research proceeds. Thus, in the limestone caves at
+Wellington Valley, the remains of fossils and exuviae, show that their
+depths were penetrated by the same searching element that poured into the
+caverns of Kirkdale and other places. They are as gleams of sunshine
+falling upon the pages of that sublime and splendid volume, in which the
+history of the deluge is alone to be found; as if the Almighty intended
+that His word should stand single and unsupported before mankind: and when
+we consider that such corroborative testimonies of his wrath, as those I
+have noticed, were in all probability wholly unknown to those who wrote
+that sacred book, the discovery of the remains of a past world, must
+strike those under whose knowledge it may fall with the truth of that
+awful event, which language has vainly endeavoured to describe and
+painters to represent.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+
+
+Environs of the lake Alexandrina--Appointment of Capt. Barker to make a
+further survey of the coast near Encounter Bay--Narrative of his
+proceedings--Mount Lofty, Mount Barker, and beautiful country adjacent--
+Australian salmon--Survey of the coast--Outlet of lake to the sea--
+Circumstances that led to the slaughter of Capt. Barker by the natives--
+His character--Features of this part of the country and capabilities of
+its coasts--Its adaptation for colonization--Suggestions for the
+furtherance of future Expeditions.
+
+ENVIRONS OF THE LAKE ALEXANDRINA.
+
+The foregoing narrative will have given the reader some idea of the state
+in which the last expedition reached the bottom of that extensive and
+magnificent basin which receives the waters of the Murray. The men were,
+indeed, so exhausted, in strength, and their provisions so much reduced by
+the time they gained the coast, that I doubted much, whether either would
+hold out to such place as we might hope for relief. Yet, reduced as the
+whole of us were from previous exertion, beset as our homeward path was by
+difficulty and danger, and involved as our eventual safety was in
+obscurity and doubt, I could not but deplore the necessity that obliged me
+to re-cross the Lake Alexandrina (as I had named it in honour of the heir
+apparent to the British crown), and to relinquish the examination of its
+western shores. We were borne over its ruffled and agitated surface with
+such rapidity, that I had scarcely time to view it as we passed; but,
+cursory as my glance was, I could not but think I was leaving behind me
+the fullest reward of our toil, in a country that would ultimately render
+our discoveries valuable, and benefit the colony for whose interests we
+were engaged. Hurried, I would repeat, as my view of it was, my eye never
+fell on a country of more promising aspect, or of more favourable
+position, than that which occupies the space between the lake and the
+ranges of St. Vincent's Gulf, and, continuing northerly from Mount Barker,
+stretches away, without any visible boundary.
+
+It appeared to me that, unless nature had deviated from her usual laws,
+this tract of country could not but be fertile, situated as it was to
+receive the mountain deposits on the one hand, and those of the lake upon
+the other.
+
+FURTHER EXAMINATION OF THE COAST.
+
+In my report to the Colonial Government, however, I did not feel myself
+justified in stating, to their full extent, opinions that were founded on
+probability and conjecture alone. But, although I was guarded in this
+particular, I strongly recommended a further examination of the coast,
+from the most eastern point of Encounter Bay, to the head St. Vincent's
+Gulf, to ascertain if any other than the known channel existed among the
+sand-hills of the former, or if, as I had every reason to hope from the
+great extent of water to the N.W., there was a practicable communication
+with the lake from the other; and I ventured to predict, that a closer
+survey of the interjacent country, would be attended with the most
+beneficial results; nor have I a doubt that the promontory of Cape Jervis
+would ere this have been settled, had Captain Barker lived to complete his
+official reports.
+
+CAPT. BARKER'S SURVEY.
+
+The governor, General Darling, whose multifarious duties might well have
+excused him from paying attention to distant objects, hesitated not a
+moment when he thought the interests of the colony, whose welfare he so
+zealously promoted, appeared to be concerned; and he determined to avail
+himself of the services of Captain Collet Barker, of the 39th regiment,
+who was about to be recalled from King George's Sound, in order to satisfy
+himself as to the correctness of my views.
+
+Captain Barker had not long before been removed from Port Raffles, on the
+northern coast, where he had had much intercourse with the natives, and
+had frequently trusted himself wholly in their hands. It was not, however,
+merely on account of his conciliating manners, and knowledge of the temper
+and habits of the natives, that he was particularly fitted for the duty
+upon which it was the governor's pleasure to employ him. He was, in
+addition, a man of great energy of character, and of much and various
+information.
+
+Orders having reached Sydney, directing the establishment belonging to
+New South Wales to be withdrawn, prior to the occupation of King George's
+Sound by the government of Western Australia, the ISABELLA schooner was
+sent to receive the troops and prisoners on board; and Captain Barker was
+directed, as soon as he should have handed over the settlement to Captain
+Stirling, to proceed to Cape Jervis from which point it was thought he
+could best carry on a survey not only of the coast but also of the
+interior.
+
+This excellent and zealous officer sailed from King George's Sound, on the
+10th of April, 1831, and arrived off Cape Jervis on the 13th. He was
+attended by Doctor Davies, one of the assistant surgeons of his regiment,
+and by Mr. Kent, of the Commissariat. It is to the latter gentleman that
+the public are indebted for the greater part of the following details;
+he having attended Captain Barker closely during the whole of this short
+but disastrous excursion, and made notes as copious as they are
+interesting. At the time the ISABELLA arrived off Cape Jervis, the weather
+was clear and favourable. Captain Barker consequently stood into
+St. Vincent's Gulf, keeping, as near as practicable, to the eastern shore,
+in soundings that varied from six to ten fathoms, upon sand and mud.
+His immediate object was to ascertain if there was any communication with
+the lake Alexandrina from the gulf. He ascended to lat. 34 degrees
+40 minutes where he fully satisfied himself that no channel did exist
+between them. He found, however, that the ranges behind Cape Jervis
+terminated abruptly at Mount Lofty, in lat. 34 degrees 56 minutes, and,
+that a flat and wooded country succeeded to the N. and N.E. The shore of
+the gulf tended more to the N.N.W., and mud flats and mangrove swamps
+prevailed along it.
+
+INVITING COUNTRY--MOUNT LOFTY.
+
+Mr. Kent informs me, that they landed for the first time on the 15th, but
+that they returned almost immediately to the vessel. On the 17th, Captain
+Barker again landed, with the intention of remaining on shore for two or
+three days. He was accompanied by Mr. Kent, his servant Mills, and two
+soldiers. The boat went to the place at which they had before landed, as
+they thought they had discovered a small river with a bar entrance. They
+crossed the bar, and ascertained that it was a narrow inlet, of four miles
+in length, that terminated at the base of the ranges. The party were quite
+delighted with the aspect of the country on either side of the inlet,
+and with the bold and romantic scenery behind them. The former bore the
+appearance of natural meadows, lightly timbered, and covered with a
+variety of grasses. The soil was observed to be a rich, fat, chocolate
+coloured earth, probably the decomposition of the deep blue limestone,
+that showed itself along the coast hereabouts. On the other hand, a rocky
+glen made a cleft in the ranges at the head of the inlet; and they were
+supplied with abundance of fresh water which remained in the deeper pools
+that had been filled by the torrents during late rains. The whole
+neighbourhood was so inviting that the party slept at the head of the
+inlet.
+
+MOUNT LOFTY AND ITS ENVIRONS.
+
+In the morning, Captain Barker proceeded to ascend Mount Lofty,
+accompanied by Mr. Kent and his servant, leaving the two soldiers at the
+bivouac, at which he directed them to remain until his return. Mr. Kent
+says they kept the ridge all the way, and rose above the sea by a gradual
+ascent. The rock-formation of the lower ranges appeared to be an
+argillaceous schist; the sides and summit of the ranges were covered with
+verdure, and the trees upon them were of more than ordinary size. The view
+to the eastward was shut out by other ranges, parallel to those on which
+they were; below them to the westward, the same pleasing kind of country
+that flanked the inlet still continued.
+
+MOUNT BARKER.
+
+In the course of the day they passed round the head of a deep ravine,
+whose smooth and grassy sides presented a beautiful appearance. The party
+stood 600 feet above the bed of a small rivulet that occupied the bottom
+of the ravine. In some places huge blocks of granite interrupted its
+course, in others the waters had worn the rock smooth. The polish of these
+rocks was quite beautiful, and the veins of red and white quartz which
+traversed them, looked like mosaic work. They did not gain the top of
+Mount Lofty, but slept a few miles beyond the ravine. In the morning
+they continued their journey, and, crossing Mount Lofty, descended
+northerly, to a point from which the range bent away a little to the
+N.N.E., and then terminated. The view from this point was much more
+extensive than that from Mount Lofty itself. They overlooked a great part
+of the gulf, and could distinctly see the mountains at the head of it to
+the N.N.W. To the N.W. there was a considerable indentation in the coast,
+which had escaped Captain Barker's notice when examining it. A mountain,
+very similar to Mount Lofty, bore due east of them, and appeared to be the
+termination of its range. They were separated by a valley of about ten
+miles in width, the appearance of which was not favourable. Mr. Kent
+states to me, that Capt. Barker observed at the time that he thought it
+probable I had mistaken this hill for Mount Lofty, since it shut out the
+view of the lake from him, and therefore he naturally concluded, I could
+not have seen Mount Lofty. I can readily imagine such an error to have
+been made by me, more especially as I remember that at the time I was
+taking bearings in the lake, I thought Captain Flinders had not given
+Mount Lofty, as I then conceived it to be, its proper position in
+longitude. Both hills are in the same parallel of latitude. The mistake on
+my part is obvious. I have corrected it in the charts, and have availed
+myself of the opportunity thus afforded me of perpetuating, as far as I
+can, the name of an inestimable companion in Captain Barker himself
+
+Immediately below the point on which they stood, Mr. Kent says, a low
+undulating country extended to the northward, as far as he could see.
+It was partly open, and partly wooded; and was every where covered with
+verdure. It continued round to the eastward, and apparently ran down
+southerly, at the opposite base of the mount Barker Range. I think there
+can be but little doubt that my view from the S.E., that is, from the
+lake, extended over the same or a part of the same country. Captain Barker
+again slept on the summit of the range, near a large basin that looked
+like the mouth of a crater, in which huge fragments of rocks made a scene
+of the utmost confusion. These rocks were a coarse grey granite, of which
+the higher parts and northern termination of the Mount Lofty range are
+evidently formed; for Mr. Kent remarks that it superseded the schistose
+formation at the ravine we have noticed--and that, subsequently, the sides
+of the hills became more broken, and valleys, or gullies, more properly
+speaking, very numerous. Captain Barker estimated the height of Mount
+Lofty above the sea at 2,400 feet, and the distance of its summit from the
+coast at eleven miles. Mr. Kent says they were surprised at the size of
+the trees on the immediate brow of it; they measured one and found it to
+be 43 feet in girth. Indeed, he adds, vegetation did not appear to have
+suffered either from its elevated position, or from any prevailing wind.
+Eucalypti were the general timber on the ranges; one species of which,
+resembling strongly the black butted-gum, was remarkable for a scent
+peculiar to its bark.
+
+AUSTRALIAN SALMON.
+
+The party rejoined the soldiers on the 21st, and enjoyed the supply of
+fish which they had provided for them. The soldiers had amused themselves
+by fishing during Captain Barker's absence, and had been abundantly
+successful. Among others they had taken a kind of salmon, which, though
+inferior in size, resembled in shape, in taste, and in the colour of its
+flesh, the salmon of Europe. I fancied that a fish which I observed with
+extremely glittering scales, in the mouth of a seal, when myself on the
+coast, must have been of this kind; and I have no doubt that the lake is
+periodically visited by salmon, and that these fish retain their habits of
+entering fresh water at particular seasons, also in the southern
+hemisphere.
+
+Immediately behind Cape Jervis, there is a small bay, in which according
+to the information of the sealers who frequent Kangaroo Island, there is
+good and safe anchorage for seven months in the year, that is to say,
+during the prevalence of the E. and N.E. winds.
+
+SURVEY OF THE COAST.
+
+Captain Barker landed on the 21st on this rocky point at the northern
+extremity of this bay. He had, however, previously to this, examined the
+indentation in the coast which he had observed from Mount Lofty, and had
+ascertained that it was nothing more than an inlet; a spit of sand,
+projecting from the shore at right angles with it, concealed the month of
+the inlet. They took the boat to examine this point, and carried six
+fathoms soundings round the head of the spit to the mouth of the inlet,
+when it shoaled to two fathoms, and the landing was observed to be bad,
+by reason of mangrove swamps on either side of it. Mr. Kent, I think, told
+me that this inlet was from ten to twelve miles long. Can it be that a
+current setting out of it at times, has thrown up the sand-bank that
+protects its mouth, and that trees, or any other obstacle, have hidden its
+further prolongation from Captain Barker's notice? I have little hope that
+such is the case, but the remark is not an idle one.
+
+BEAUTIFUL VALLEYS.
+
+Between this inlet and the one formerly mentioned, a small and clear
+stream was discovered, to which Captain Barker kindly gave my name. On
+landing, the party, which consisted of the same persons as the former one,
+found themselves in a valley, which opened direct upon the bay. It was
+confined to the north from the chief range by a lateral ridge, that
+gradually declined towards and terminated at, the rocky point on which
+they had landed. The other side of the valley was formed of a continuation
+of the main range, which also gradually declined to the south, and
+appeared to be connected with the hills at the extremity of the cape.
+The valley was from nine to ten miles in length, and from three to four in
+breadth. In crossing it, they ascertained that the lagoon from which the
+schooner had obtained a supply of water, was filled by a watercourse that
+came down its centre. The soil in the valley was rich, but stony in some
+parts. There was an abundance of pasture over the whole, from amongst
+which they started numerous kangaroos. The scenery towards the ranges was
+beautiful and romantic, and the general appearance of the country such as
+to delight the whole party.
+
+Preserving a due east course, Captain Barker passed over the opposite
+range of hills, and descended almost immediately into a second valley that
+continued to the southwards. Its soil was poor and stony, and it was
+covered with low scrub. Crossing it, they ascended the opposite range,
+from the summit of which they had a view of Encounter Bay. An extensive
+flat stretched from beneath them to the eastward, and was backed, in the
+distance, by sand hummocks, and low wooded hills. The extreme right of the
+flat rested upon the coast, at a rocky point near which there were two or
+three islands. From the left a beautiful valley opened upon it. A strong
+and clear rivulet from this valley traversed the flat obliquely, and fell
+into the sea at the rocky point, or a little to the southward of it.
+The hills forming the opposite side of the valley had already terminated.
+Captain Barker, therefore, ascended to higher ground, and, at length,
+obtained a view of the Lake Alexandrina, and the channel of its
+communication with the sea to the N.E. He now descended to the flat, and
+frequently expressed his anxious wish to Mr. Kent that I had been one of
+their number to enjoy the beauty of the scenery around them, and to
+participate in their labours. Had fate so ordained it, it is possible the
+melancholy tragedy that soon after occurred might have been averted.
+
+OUTLET OF LAKE TO THE SEA.
+
+At the termination of the flat they found themselves upon the banks of the
+channel, and close to the sand hillock under which my tents had been
+pitched. From this point they proceeded along the line of sand-hills to
+the outlet; from which it would appear that Kangaroo Island is not
+visible, but that the distant point which I mistook for it was the S.E.
+angle of Cape Jervis. I have remarked, in describing that part of the
+coast, that there is a sand-hill to the eastward of the inlet, under which
+the tide runs strong, and the water is deep. Captain Barker judged the
+breadth of the channel to be a quarter of a mile, and he expressed a
+desire to swim across it to the sand-hill to take bearings, and to
+ascertain the nature of the strand beyond it to the eastward.
+
+It unfortunately happened, that he was the only one of the party who could
+swim well, in consequence of which his people remonstrated with him on the
+danger of making the attempt unattended. Notwithstanding, however, that
+he was seriously indisposed, he stripped, and after Mr. Kent had fastened
+his compass on his head for him, he plunged into the water, and with
+difficulty gained the opposite side; to effect which took him nine minutes
+and fifty-eight seconds. His anxious comrades saw him ascend the hillock,
+and take several bearings; he then descended the farther side, and was
+never seen by them again.
+
+CIRCUMSTANCES ATTENDING THE LOSS OF CAPTAIN BARKER.
+
+For a considerable time Mr. Kent remained stationary, in momentary
+expectation of his return; but at length, taking the two soldiers with
+him, he proceeded along the shore in search of wood for a fire. At about
+a quarter of a mile, the soldiers stopped and expressed their wish to
+return, as their minds misgave them, and they feared that Captain Barker
+had met with some accident. While conversing, they heard a distant shout,
+or cry, which Mr. Kent thought resembled the call of the natives, but
+which the soldiers positively declared to be the voice of a white man.
+On their return to their companions, they asked if any sounds had caught
+their ears, to which they replied in the negative. The wind was blowing
+from the E.S.E., in which direction Captain Barker had gone; and, to me,
+the fact of the nearer party not having heard that which must have been
+his cries for assistance, is satisfactorily accounted for, as, being
+immediately under the hill, the sounds must have passed over their heads
+to be heard more distinctly at the distance at which Mr. Kent and the
+soldiers stood. It is more than probable, that while his men were
+expressing their anxiety about him, the fearful tragedy was enacting which
+it has become my painful task to detail.
+
+Evening closed in without any signs of Captain Barker's return, or any
+circumstance by which Mr. Kent could confirm his fears that he had fallen
+into the hands of the natives. For, whether it was that the tribe which
+had shown such decided hostility to me when on the coast had not observed
+the party, none made their appearance; and if I except two, who crossed
+the channel when Mr. Kent was in search of wood, they had neither seen nor
+heard any; and Captain Barker's enterprising disposition being well known
+to his men, hopes were still entertained that he was safe. A large fire
+was kindled, and the party formed a silent and anxious group around it.
+Soon after night-fall, however, their attention was roused by the sounds
+of the natives, and it was at length discovered, that they had lighted a
+chain of small fires between the sand-hill Captain Barker had ascended and
+the opposite side of the channel, around which their women were chanting
+their melancholy dirge. It struck upon the ears of the listeners with an
+ominous thrill, and assured them of the certainty of the irreparable loss
+they had sustained. All night did those dismal sounds echo along that
+lonely shore, but as morning dawned, they ceased, and Mr. Kent and his
+companions were again left in anxiety and doubt. They, at length, thought
+it most advisable to proceed to the schooner to advise with Doctor
+Davies. They traversed the beach with hasty steps, but did not get on
+board till the following day. It was then determined to procure assistance
+from the sealers on Kangaroo Island, as the only means by which they could
+ascertain their leader's fate, and they accordingly entered American
+Harbour. For a certain reward, one of the men agreed to accompany Mr. Kent
+to the main with a native woman, to communicate with the tribe that was
+supposed to have killed him. They landed at or near the rocky point of
+Encounter Bay, where they were joined by two other natives, one of whom
+was blind. The woman was sent forward for intelligence, and on her return
+gave the following details:
+
+ACCOUNT OF HIS MURDER.
+
+It appears that at a very considerable distance from the first sand-hill,
+there is another to which Captain Barker must have walked, for the woman
+stated that three natives were going to the shore from their tribe, and
+that they crossed his tract. Their quick perception immediately told them
+it was an unusual impression. They followed upon it, and saw Captain
+Barker returning. They hesitated for a long time to approach him, being
+fearful of the instrument he carried. At length, however, they closed upon
+him. Capt. Barker tried to soothe them, but finding that they were
+determined to attack him, he made for the water from which he could not
+have been very distant. One of the blacks immediately threw his spear and
+struck him in the hip. This did not, however, stop him. He got among the
+breakers, when he received the second spear in the shoulder. On this,
+turning round, he received a third full in the breast: with such deadly
+precision do these savages cast their weapons. It would appear that the
+third spear was already on its flight when Capt. Barker turned, and it is
+to be hoped, that it was at once mortal. He fell on his back into the
+water. The natives then rushed in, and dragging him out by the legs,
+seized their spears, and indicted innumerable wounds upon his body;
+after which, they threw it into deep water, and the sea-tide carried it
+away.
+
+HIS CHARACTER.
+
+Such, we have every reason to believe, was the untimely fate of this
+amiable and talented man. It is a melancholy satisfaction to me thus
+publicly to record his worth; instrumental, as I cannot but in some
+measure consider my last journey to have been in leading to this fatal
+catastrophe. Captain Barker was in disposition, as he was in the close
+of his life, in many respects similar to Captain Cook. Mild, affable, and
+attentive, he had the esteem and regard of every companion, and the
+respect of every one under him. Zealous in the discharge of his public
+duties, honourable and just in private life; a lover and a follower of
+science; indefatigable and dauntless in his pursuits; a steady friend,
+an entertaining companion; charitable, kind-hearted, disinterested,
+and sincere--the task is equally difficult to find adequate expressions of
+praise or of regret. In him the king lost one of his most valuable
+officers, and his regiment one of its most efficient members. Beloved as
+he was, the news of his loss struck his numerous friends with sincere
+grief, but by none was it more severely felt than by the humble individual
+who has endeavoured thus feebly to draw his portrait.
+
+From the same source from which the particulars of his death were
+obtained, it was reported that the natives who perpetrated the deed were
+influenced by no other motive than curiosity to ascertain if they had
+power to kill a white man. But we must be careful in giving credit to
+this, for it is much more probable that the cruelties exercised by the
+sealers towards the blacks along the south coast, may have instigated the
+latter to take vengeance on the innocent as well as on the guilty. It will
+be seen, by a reference to the chart, that Captain Barker, by crossing the
+channel, threw himself into the very hands of that tribe which had evinced
+such determined hostility to myself and my men. He got into the rear of
+their strong hold, and was sacrificed to those feelings of suspicion, and
+to that desire of revenge, which the savages never lose sight of until
+they have been gratified.
+
+FEATURES OF THE COUNTRY, AND CAPABILITIES OF THE COAST.
+
+It yet remains for me to state that when Mr. Kent returned to the
+schooner, after this irreparable loss, he kept to the south of the place
+at which he had crossed the first range with Captain Barker, and travelled
+through a valley right across the promontory. He thus discovered that
+there was a division in the ranges, through which there was a direct and
+level road from the little bay on the northern extremity of which they had
+last landed in St. Vincent's Gulf, to the rocky point of Encounter Bay.
+The importance of this fact will be better estimated, when it is known
+that good anchorage is secured to small vessels inside the island that
+lies off the point of Encounter Bay, which is rendered still safer by a
+horse shoe reef that forms, as it were, a thick wall to break the swell of
+the sea. But this anchorage is not safe for more than five months in the
+year. Independently of these points, however, Mr. Kent remarks, that the
+spit a little to the north of Mount Lofty would afford good shelter to
+minor vessels under its lee. When the nature of the country is taken into
+consideration, and the facility of entering that which lies between the
+ranges and the Lake Alexandrina, from the south, and of a direct
+communication with the lake itself, the want of an extensive harbour will,
+in some measure, be compensated for, more especially when it is known that
+within four leagues of Cape Jervis, a port little inferior to Port
+Jackson, with a safe and broad entrance, exists at Kangaroo Island. The
+sealers have given this spot the name of American Harbour. In it, I am
+informed, vessels are completely land-locked, and secure from every wind.
+Kangaroo Island is not, however, fertile by any means. It abounds in
+shallow lakes filled with salt water during high tides, and which, by
+evaporation, yield a vast quantity of salt.
+
+I gathered from the sealers that neither the promontory separating
+St. Vincent from Spencer's Gulf, nor the neighbourhood of Port Lincoln,
+are other than barren and sandy wastes. They all agree in describing Port
+Lincoln itself as a magnificent roadstead, but equally agree as to the
+sterility of its shores. It appears, therefore, that the promontory of
+Cape Jervis owes its superiority to its natural features; in fact, to the
+mountains that occupy its centre, to the debris that has been washed from
+them, and to the decomposition of the better description of its rocks.
+Such is the case at Illawarra, where the mountains approach the sea; such
+indeed is the case every where, at a certain distance from mountain
+ranges.
+
+ADAPTION OF THIS PART OF THE COUNTRY FOR COLONISATION.
+
+From the above account it would appear that a spot has, at length, been
+found upon the south coast of New Holland, to which the colonist might
+venture with every prospect of success, and in whose valleys the exile
+might hope to build for himself and for his family a peaceful and
+prosperous home. All who have ever landed upon the eastern shore of
+St. Vincent's Gulf, agree as to the richness of its soil, and the
+abundance of its pasture. Indeed, if we cast our eyes upon the chart, and
+examine the natural features of the country behind Cape Jervis, we shall
+no longer wonder at its differing in soil and fertility from the low and
+sandy tracks that generally prevail along the shores of Australia. Without
+entering largely into the consideration of the more remote advantages that
+would, in all human probability, result from the establishment of a
+colony, rather than a penal settlement, at St. Vincent's Gulf, it will be
+expedient to glance hastily over the preceding narrative, and, disengaging
+it from all extraneous matter, to condense, as much as possible, the
+information it contains respecting the country itself; for I have been
+unable to introduce any passing remark, lest I should break the thread of
+an interesting detail.
+
+The country immediately behind Cape Jervis may, strictly speaking, be
+termed a promontory, bounded to the west by St. Vincent's Gulf, and to the
+east by the lake Alexandrina, and the sandy track separating that basin
+from the sea. Supposing a line to be drawn from the parallel of 34 degrees
+40 minutes to the eastward, it will strike the Murray river about 25 miles
+above the head of the lake, and will clear the ranges, of which Mount
+Lofty and Mount Barker are the respective terminations. The line will cut
+off a space whose greatest breadth will be 55 miles, whose length from
+north to south will be 75, and whose surface exceeds 7 millions of acres;
+from which if we deduct 2 millions for the unavailable hills, we shall
+have 5 millions of acres of land, of rich soil, upon which no scrub
+exists, and whose most distant points are accessible, through a level
+country on the one hand, and by water on the other. The southern extremity
+of the ranges can be turned by that valley through which Mr. Kent returned
+to the schooner, after Captain Barker's death. It is certain, therefore,
+that this valley not only secures so grand a point, but also presents a
+level line of communication from the small bay immediately to the north of
+the cape, to the rocky point of Encounter Bay, at both of which places
+there is safe anchorage at different periods of the year.
+
+HINTS FOR FUTURE EXPEDITIONS.
+
+The only objection that can be raised to the occupation of this spot, is
+the want of an available harbour. Yet it admits of great doubt whether the
+contiguity of Kangaroo Island to Cape Jervis, (serving as it does to break
+the force of the prevailing winds, as also of the heavy swell that would
+otherwise roll direct into the bay,) and the fact of its possessing a safe
+and commodious harbour, certainly at an available distance, does not in a
+great measure remove the objection. Certain it is that no port, with the
+exception of that on the shores of which the capital of Australia is
+situated, offers half the convenience of this, although it be detached
+between three and four leagues from the main.
+
+On the other hand it would appear, that there is no place from which at
+any time the survey of the more central parts of the continent could be so
+effectually carried on; for in a country like Australia, where the chief
+obstacle to be apprehended in travelling is the want of water, the
+facilities afforded by the Murray and its tributaries, are indisputable;
+and I have little doubt that the very centre of the continent might be
+gained by a judicious and enterprising expedition. Certainly it is most
+desirable to ascertain whether the river I have supposed to be the Darling
+be really so or not. I have stated my objection to depots, but I think
+that if a party commenced its operations upon the Murray from the
+junction upwards, and, after ascertaining the fact of its ultimate course,
+turned away to the N.W. up one of the tributaries of the Murray, with a
+supply of six months' provisions, the results would be of the most
+satisfactory kind, and the features of the country be wholly developed.
+I cannot, I think, conclude this work better than by expressing a hope,
+that the Colonial Government will direct such measures to be adopted as
+may be necessary for the extension of our geographical knowledge in
+Australia. The facilities of fitting out expeditions in New South Wales,
+render the expenses of little moment, when compared with the importance of
+the object in view; and although I am labouring under the effects of
+former attempts, yet would I willingly give such assistance as I could to
+carry such an object into effect.
+
+
+
+
+
+APPENDIX.
+
+
+
+
+APPENDIX No. I.
+
+
+
+GEOLOGICAL SPECIMENS FOUND TO THE SOUTH-WEST OF PORT JACKSON.
+
+
+Considering the nature of the country over which the first expedition
+travelled, it could hardly have been expected that its geological
+specimens would be numerous. It will appear, however, from the following
+list of rocks collected during the second expedition, that the geological
+formation of the mountains to the S.W. of Port Jackson is as various as
+that to the N.W. of it is mountainous. The specimens are described not
+according to their natural order, but in the succession in which they
+were found, commencing from Yass Plains, and during the subsequent stages
+of the journey.
+
+
+Sandstone, Old Red.--Found on various parts of Yass Plains, in contact
+with
+
+Limestone, Transition.--Colour dark grey; composes the bed of the Yass
+River, and apparently traverses the sandstone formation. Yass Plains lie
+170 miles to the S.W. of Sydney.
+
+Sandstone, Old Red.--Again succeeds the limestone, and continues to the
+N.W. to a considerable distance over a poor and scrubby country, covered
+for the most part with a dwarf species of Eucalyptus.
+
+Granite.--Colour grey; feldspar, black mica, and quartz: succeeds the
+sandstone, and continues to the S.W. as far as the Morumbidgee River,
+over an open forest country broken into hill and dale. It is generally on
+these granite rocks that the best grazing is found.
+
+Greywacke.--Colour grey, of light hue, or dark, with black specks.
+Soft.--Composition of a part of the ranges that form the valley of the
+Morumbidgee.
+
+Serpentine.--Colour green of different shades, striped sulphur yellow;
+slaty fracture, soft and greasy to the touch. Forms hills of moderate
+elevation, of peculiarly sharp spine, resting on quartz. Composition of
+most of the ranges opposite the Doomot River on the Morumbidgee, in
+lat. 35 degrees 4 minutes and long. 147 degrees 40 minutes.
+
+Quartz.--Colour snow-white; formation of the higher ranges on the left
+bank of the Morumbidgee, in the same latitude and longitude as above;
+showing in large blocks on the sides of the hills.
+
+Slaty Quartz, with varieties.--Found with the quartz rock, in a state
+of decomposition.
+
+Granite.--Succeeds the serpentine, of light colour; feldspar decomposed;
+mica, glittering and silvery white.
+
+Sandstone, Old Red.--Composition of the more distant ranges on the
+Morumbidgee. Forms abrupt precipices over the river flats; of sterile
+appearance, and covered with Banksias and scrub.
+
+Mica Slate.--Colour dark brown, approaching red; mica glittering.
+The hills enclosing Pondebadgery Plain at the gorge of the valley of the
+Morumbidgee, are composed of this rock. They are succeeded by
+
+Sandstone.--Which rises abruptly from the river in perpendicular cliffs,
+of 145 feet in height.
+
+Jasper and quartz.--Colour red and white. Forms the slope of the above
+sandstone, and may be considered the outermost of the rocks connected with
+the Eastern or Blue Mountain Ranges. It will be remembered that jasper and
+quartz were likewise found on a plain near the Darling River, precisely
+similar to the above, although occurring at so great a distance from each
+other.
+
+Granite.--Light red colour; composition of a small isolated hill, to all
+appearance wholly unconnected with the neighbouring ranges. This specimen
+is very similar to that found in the bed of New-Year's Creek.
+
+Brecaia.--Silicious cement, composed of a variety of pebbles. Formation of
+the most WESTERLY of the hills between the Lachlan and Macquarie Rivers.
+This conglomerate was also found to compose the minor and most westerly of
+the elevations of the more northern interior.
+
+Chrystallised Sulphate of Lime.--Found embedded in the deep alluvial soil
+in the banks of the Morumbidgee River, in lat. 34 degrees 30 minutes S.,
+and long. 144 degrees 55 minutes E. The same substance was found on the
+banks of the Darling, in lat. 29 degrees 49 minutes S., and in
+long. 145 degrees 18 minutes E.
+
+
+A reference to the chart will show that the Morumbidgee, from the first of
+the above positions, may be said to have entered the almost dead level of
+the interior. No elevation occurs to the westward for several hundreds of
+miles. A coarse grit occasionally traversed the beds of the rivers, and
+their lofty banks of clay or marl appear to be based on sandstone and
+granitic sand. The latter occurs in slabs of four inches in thickness,
+divided by a line of saffron-coloured sand, and seems to have been
+subjected to fusion, as if the particles or grains had been cemented
+together by fusion.
+
+
+The first decided break that takes place in the level of the interior
+occurs upon the right bank of the Murray, a little below the junction of
+the Rufus with it. A cliff of from 120 to 130 feet in perpendicular
+elevation here flanks the river for about 200 yards, when it recedes from
+it, and forms a spacious amphitheatre that is occupied by semicircular
+hillocks, that partake of the same character as the cliff itself; the face
+of which showed the various substances of which it was composed in
+horizontal lines, that if prolonged would cut the same substance in the
+hillocks. Based upon a soft white sandstone, a bed of clay formed the
+lowest part of the cliff; upon this bed of clay, a bed of chalk reposed;
+this chalk was superseded by a thick bed of saponaceous earth, whilst the
+summit of the cliff was composed of a bright red sand. Semi-opal and
+hydrate of silex were found in the chalk, and some beautiful specimens of
+brown menelite were collected from the upper stratum of the cliff.
+
+A little below this singular place, the country again declines, when a
+tertiary fossil formation shows itself, which, rising gradually as an
+inclined plain, ultimately attains an elevation of 300 feet. This
+formation continues to the very coast, since large masses of the rock were
+observed in the channel of communication between the lake and the ocean;
+and the hills to the left of the channel were based upon it. This great
+bank cannot, therefore, average less than from seventy to ninety miles in
+width. At its commencement, it strikingly resembled skulls piled one
+on the other, as well in colour as appearance. This effect had been
+produced by the constant rippling of water against the rock. The softer
+parts had been washed away, and the shells (a bed of Turritella) alone
+remained.
+
+Plate 1, Figures 1, 2, and 3, represent the selenite formation.
+
+Plate 2, represents a mass of the rock containing numerous kinds of
+shells, of which the following are the most conspicuous:
+
+Cardium
+Pectunculus
+Corbula
+Arca
+Conus, and
+Others unknown.
+
+
+* * *
+
+
+The following is a list of the fossils collected from various parts of
+this formation, from which it is evident that a closer examination would
+lead to the discovery of numberless species.
+
+
+TUNICATA.
+
+
+PLATE III.
+
+FIG.1 Eschara celleporacea.
+    2 ------- piriformis.
+    3 ------- UNNAMED.
+
+FIG.4 Cellepora echinata.
+    5 --------- escharoides?
+    6 Retcpora disticha.
+    7 -------- vibicata.
+    8 Glauconome rhombifera.
+        All Tertiary in Westphalia and England.
+
+
+RADIATA
+
+
+    9 Scutella.
+   10 Spatangus Hoffmanni--Goldfuss.
+        Tertiary, in Westphalia.
+    11 Echinus.
+
+
+CONCHIFERA--BIVALVED SHELLS.
+
+
+       Corbula gallica--Paris basin--Tertiary.
+       Tellina?
+       Corbis lamellosa--Tertiary--Paris.
+       Lucina.
+       Venus (Cytherea) laevigata--ibid.
+       ----- ---------- obliqua  --ibid.
+       Venus
+       Cardium?--fragments.
+    12 Nucula--such is found in London clay.
+    13 Pecten coarctatus?--Placentia.
+       ------ varius?--recent.
+    14 ------ species unknown.
+       Two other Pectens also occur.
+       Ostrea elongata--Deshayes.
+    15 Terebratula.
+    16 One cast, genus unknown, perhaps a Cardium.
+
+
+MOLUSCA--UNIVALVED SHELLS.
+
+
+        Bulla? Plate II., fig. 2.
+FIG.17 Natica--small.
+    18 ------  large species.
+       Dentalium?
+    19 Trochus.
+    20 Turritella.
+       ---------- in gyps.
+    21 Murex.
+    22 Buccinum?
+    23 Mitra.
+    24 ----- very short.
+    25 Cypraea.
+    26 Conus.
+    27 ----- (Plate II., fig. 3.)
+    28 Two, unknown, (Also Plate II, fig. 4.)
+    The above all appear to belong to the newer tertiary formations.
+
+[Fig.17 to 27--These genera are scarcely ever, and some of them not at
+all, found in any but tertiary formations.]
+
+    A block of coarse red granite forms an island in the centre of the
+    river near the lake, but is nowhere else visible, although it is very
+    probably the basis of the surrounding country.
+
+
+ROCK FORMATION OF THE COAST RANGE OF ST. VINCENT'S GULF.
+
+
+Primitive Transition Limestone.--Light grey, striped. Altered in
+appearance by volcanic action; occurs on the Ranges north of Cape Jervis.
+
+Granite.--Colour, red; found on the west side of Encounter Bay.
+
+Brown Spar.--South point of Cape Jervis.
+
+Sandstone, Old Red.--East coast of St, Vincent's Gulf.
+
+Limestone, Transition.--Colour, blue. East Coast of St. Vincent's Gulf.
+Formation near the first inlet. Continuing to the base of the Ranges.
+
+Clay Slate.--Composition of the lower part of the Mount Lofty Range.
+
+Granite.--Fine grained, red; forms the higher parts of the Mount Lofty
+Range.
+
+Quartz, with Tourmaline.--Lower parts of the Mount Lofty Range.
+
+Limestone Flustra, and their Corallines, probably tertiary.--From the
+mouth of the Sturt, on the coast line, nearly abreast of Mount Lofty.
+
+
+
+
+APPENDIX No. II.
+
+
+
+OFFICIAL REPORT TO THE COLONIAL GOVERNMENT.
+
+
+* * * * *
+
+GOVERNMENT ORDER.
+
+Colonial Secretary's Office, Sydney,
+May 10, 1830.
+
+His Excellency the Governor has much satisfaction in publishing the
+following report of the proceedings of an expedition undertaken for the
+purpose of tracing the course of the river "Morumbidgee," and of
+ascertaining whether it communicated with the coast forming the southern
+boundary of the colony.
+
+The expedition, which was placed under the direction of Captain Sturt,
+of his Majesty's 39th Regiment, commenced its progress down the
+"Morumbidgee" on the 7th day of January last, having been occupied
+twenty-one days in performing the journey from Sydney.
+
+On the 14th January they entered a new river running from east to west,
+now called the "Murray," into which the "Morumbidgee" flows.
+
+After pursuing the course of the "Murray" for several days, the expedition
+observed another river (supposed to be that which Captain Sturt discovered
+on his former expedition), uniting with the "Murray" which they examined
+about five miles above the junction.
+
+The expedition again proceeded down the "Murray," and fell in with another
+of its tributaries flowing from the south east, which Captain Sturt has
+designated the "Lindesay;" and on the 8th February the "Murray" was
+found to enter or form a lake, of from fifty to sixty miles in length,
+and from thirty to forty in breadth, lying immediately to the eastward of
+gulf St. Vincent, and extending to the southward, to the shore of
+"Encounter Bay."
+
+Thus has Captain Sturt added largely, and in a highly important degree,
+to the knowledge previously possessed of the interior.
+
+His former expedition ascertained the fate of the rivers Macquarie and
+Castlereagh, on which occasion he also discovered a river which, there is
+every reason to believe, is, in ordinary seasons, of considerable
+magnitude.
+
+Should this, as Captain Sturt supposes, prove to be the same river as that
+above-mentioned, as uniting with the "Murray," the existence of an
+interior water communication for several hundreds of miles, extending from
+the northward of "Mount Harris," down to the southern coast of the colony,
+will have been established.
+
+It is to be regretted, that circumstances did not permit of a more perfect
+examination of the lake, (which has been called "Alexandrina"), as the
+immediate vicinage of Gulf St. Vincent furnishes a just ground of hope
+that a more practicable and useful communication may be discovered in
+that direction, than the channel which leads into "Encounter Bay."
+
+The opportunity of recording a second time the services rendered to the
+colony by Captain Sturt, is as gratifying to the government which directed
+the undertaking, as it is creditable to the individual who so successfully
+conducted it to its termination.--It is an additional cause of
+satisfaction to add, that every one, according to his sphere of action,
+has a claim to a proportionate degree of applause. All were exposed alike
+to the same privations and fatigue, and every one submitted with patience,
+manifesting the most anxious desire for the success of the expedition.
+The zeal of Mr. George M'Leay, the companion of Captain Sturt, when
+example was so important, could not fail to have the most salutary effect;
+and the obedience, steadiness, and good conduct of the men employed, merit
+the highest praise.
+
+By his Excellency's command,
+
+ALEXANDER M'LEAY.
+
+
+* * * * *
+
+
+BANKS OF THE MORUMBIDGEE, APRIL 20TH, 1830.
+
+SIR,--The departure of Mr. George M'Leay for Sydney, who is anxious to
+proceed homewards as speedily as possible, affords me an earlier
+opportunity than would otherwise have presented itself, by which to make
+you acquainted with the circumstance of my return, under the divine
+protection, to the located districts; and I do myself the honour of
+annexing a brief account of my proceedings since the last communication
+for the information of His Excellency the Governor, until such time as I
+shall have it in my power to give in a more detailed report.
+
+On the 7th of January, agreeably to the arrangements which had been made,
+I proceeded down the Morumbidgee in the whale boat, with a complement of
+six hands, independent of myself and Mr. M'Leay, holding the skiff in tow.
+The river, for several days, kept a general W.S.W. course; it altered
+little in appearance, nor did any material change take place in the
+country upon its banks. The alluvial flats had occasionally an increased
+breadth on either side of it, but the line of reeds was nowhere so
+extensive as from previous appearances I had been led to expect. About
+twelve miles from the depot, we passed a large creek junction from the
+N.E. which, from its locality and from the circumstance of my having been
+upon it in the direction of them, I cannot but conclude originates in the
+marshes of the Lachlan.
+
+On the 11th, the Morumbidgee became much encumbered with fallen timber,
+and its current was at times so rapid that I was under considerable
+apprehension for the safety of the boats. The skiff had been upset on the
+8th, and, although I could not anticipate such an accident to the large
+boat, I feared she would receive some more serious and irremediable
+injury. On the 14th, these difficulties increased upon us.--The channel
+of the river became more contracted, and its current more impetuous. We
+had no sooner cleared one reach, than fresh and apparently insurmountable
+dangers presented themselves to us in the next. I really feared that every
+precaution would have proved unavailing against such multiplied
+embarrassments, and that ere night we should have possessed only the
+wrecks of the expedition. From this state of anxiety, however, we were
+unexpectedly relieved, by our arrival at 2 p.m. at the termination of the
+Morumbidgee; from which we were launched into a broad and noble river,
+flowing from E. to W. at the rate of two and a half knots per hour, over
+a clear and sandy bed, of a medium width of from three to four hundred
+feet.
+
+During the first stages of our journey upon this new river, which
+evidently had its rise in the mountains of the S.E., we made rapid
+progress to the W.N.W. through an unbroken and uninteresting country of
+equal sameness of feature and of vegetation. On the 23rd, as the boats
+were proceeding down it, several hundreds of natives made their appearance
+upon the right bank, having assembled with premeditated purposes of
+violence. I was the more surprised at this show of hostility, because we
+had passed on general friendly terms, not only with those on the
+Morumbidgee, but of the new river. Now, however, emboldened by numbers,
+they seemed determined on making the first attack, and soon worked
+themselves into a state of frenzy by loud and vehement shouting. As I
+observed that the water was shoaling fast, I kept in the middle of the
+stream; and, under an impression that it would be impossible for me to
+avoid a conflict, prepared for an obstinate resistance. But, at the very
+moment when, having arrived opposite to a large sand bank, on which
+they had collected, the foremost of the blacks had already advanced
+into the water, and I only awaited their nearer approach to fire
+upon them, their impetuosity was restrained by the most unlooked
+for and unexpected interference. They held back of a sudden, and
+allowed us to pass unmolested. The boat, however, almost immediately
+grounded on a shoal that stretched across the river, over which she
+was with some difficulty hauled into deeper water,--when we found
+ourselves opposite to a large junction from the eastward, little
+inferior to the river itself. Had I been aware of this circumstance, I
+should have been the more anxious with regard to any rupture with the
+natives, and I was now happy to find that most of them had laid aside
+their weapons and had crossed the junction, it appearing that they had
+previously been on a tongue of land formed by the two streams. I therefore
+landed among them to satisfy their curiosity and to distribute a few
+presents before I proceeded up it. We were obliged to use the four oars to
+stem the current against us; but, as soon as we had passed the mouth,
+got into deeper water, and found easier pulling, The parallel in which we
+struck it, and the direction from which it came, combined to assure me
+that this could be no other than the "Darling." To the distance of two
+miles it retained a breadth of one hundred yards and a depth of twelve
+feet. Its banks were covered with verdure, and the trees overhanging them
+were of finer and larger growth than those on the new river by which we
+had approached it. Its waters had a shade of green, and were more turbid
+than those of its neighbours, but they were perfectly sweet to the taste.
+
+Having satisfied myself on those points on which I was most anxious,
+we returned to the junction to examine it more closely.
+
+The angle formed by the Darling with the new river is so acute, that
+neither can be said to be tributary to the other; but more important
+circumstances, upon which it is impossible for me to dwell at the present
+moment, mark them as distinct rivers, which have been formed by Nature
+for the same purposes, in remote and opposite parts of the island. Not
+having as yet given a name to the latter, I now availed myself of the
+opportunity of complying with the known wishes of His Excellency the
+Governor, and, at the same time, in accordance with my own feelings as a
+soldier I distinguished it by that of the "Murray."
+
+It had been my object to ascertain the decline of the vast plain through
+which the Murray flows, that I might judge of the probable fall of the
+waters of the interior; but by the most attentive observation I could not
+satisfy myself upon the point. The course of the Darling now confirmed
+my previous impression that it was to the south, which direction it was
+evident the Murray also, in the subsequent stages of our journey down it,
+struggled to preserve; from which it was thrown by a range of minor
+elevations into a more westerly one. We were carried as far as 139 degrees
+40 minutes of longitude, without descending below 34 degrees in point of
+latitude; in consequence of which I expected that the river would
+ultimately discharge itself, either into St. Vincent's Gulf or that of
+Spencer, more especially as lofty ranges were visible in the direction of
+them from the summit of the hills behind our camp, on the 2nd of February,
+which I laid down as the coast line bounding them.
+
+A few days prior to the 2nd of February, we passed under some cliffs of
+partial volcanic origin, and had immediately afterwards entered a
+limestone country of the most singular formation. The river, although we
+had passed occasional rapids of the most dangerous kind, had maintained a
+sandy character from our first acquaintance with it to the limestone
+division. It now forced itself through a glen of that rock of half a mile
+in width, frequently striking precipices of more than two hundred feet
+perpendicular elevation, in which coral and fossil remains were
+plentifully embedded. On the 3rd February it made away to the eastward of
+south, in reaches of from two to four miles in length. It gradually lost
+its sandy bed, and became deep, still, and turbid; the glen expanded into
+a valley, and the alluvial flats, which had hitherto been of
+inconsiderable size, became proportionally extensive. The Murray increased
+in breadth to more than four hundred yards, with a depth of twenty feet
+of water close into the shore, and in fact formed itself into a safe and
+navigable stream for any vessels of the minor class. On the 6th the cliffs
+partially ceased, and on the 7th they gave place to undulating and
+picturesque hills, beneath which thousands of acres of the richest flats
+extended, covered, however, with reeds, and apparently subject to overflow
+at any unusual rise of the river.
+
+It is remarkable that the view from the hills was always confined.--We
+were apparently running parallel to a continuation of the ranges we had
+seen on the 2nd, but they were seldom visible. The country generally
+seemed darkly wooded, and had occasional swells upon it, but it was one
+of no promise; the timber, chiefly box and pine, being of a poor growth,
+and its vegetation languid. On the 8th the hills upon the left wore a
+bleak appearance, and the few trees upon them were cut down as if by the
+prevailing winds. At noon we could not observe any land at the extremity
+of a reach we had just entered; some gentle hills still continued to form
+the left lank of the river, but the right was hid from us by high reeds.
+I consequently landed to survey the country from the nearest eminence, and
+found that we were just about to enter an extensive lake which stretched
+away to the S.W., the line of water meeting the horizon in that direction.
+Some tolerably lofty ranges were visible to the westward at the distance
+of forty miles, beneath which that shore was lost in haze. A hill, which I
+prejudged to be Mount Lofty, bearing by compass S. 141 degrees W. More to
+the northward, the country was low and unbacked by any elevations. A bold
+promontory, which projected into the lake at the distance of seven
+leagues, ended the view to the south along the eastern shore; between
+which and the river the land also declined. The prospect altogether was
+extremely gratifying, and the lake appeared to be a fitting reservoir for
+the whole stream which had led us to it.
+
+In the evening we passed the entrance; but a strong southerly wind heading
+us, we did not gain more than nine miles. In the morning it shifted to the
+N.E. where we stood out for the promontory on a S.S.W. course. At noon we
+were abreast of it, when a line of sand hummocks was ahead, scarcely
+visible in consequence of the great refraction about them; but an open sea
+behind us from the N.N.W. to the N.N.E. points of the compass. A meridian
+altitude observed here, placed us in 35 degrees 25 minutes 15 seconds
+S. lat.--At 1, I changed our course a little to the westward, and at
+4 p.m. entered an arm of the lake leading W.S.W. On the point, at the
+entrance, some natives had assembled, but I could not communicate with
+them. They were both painted and armed, and evidently intended to resist
+our landing. Wishing, however, to gain some information from them,
+I proceeded a short distance below their haunt, and landed for the night,
+in hopes that, seeing us peaceably disposed, they would have approached
+the tents; but as they kept aloof, we continued our journey in the
+morning. The water, which had risen ten inches during the night, had
+fallen again in the same proportion, and we were stopped by shoals shortly
+after starting. In hopes that the return of tide would have enabled us to
+float over them, we waited for it very patiently, but were ultimately
+obliged to drag the boat across a mud-flat of more than a quarter of a
+mile into deeper water; but, after a run of about twenty minutes, were
+again checked by sand banks. My endeavours to push beyond a certain point
+were unsuccessful, and I was at length under the necessity of landing upon
+the south shore for the night. Some small hummocks were behind us, on the
+other side of which I had seen the ocean from our morning's position;
+and whilst the men were pitching the tents, walked over them in company
+with Mr. M'Leay to the sea shore, having struck the coast at Encounter
+Bay, Cape Jervis, bearing by compass S. 81 degrees W. distant between
+three and four leagues, and Kangaroo Island S.E. extremity S. 60
+degrees W. distant from nine to ten.
+
+Thirty-two days had elapsed since we had left the depot, and I regretted
+in this stage of our journey, that I could not with prudence remain an
+hour longer on the coast than was necessary for me to determine the exit
+of the lake. From the angle of the channel on which we were, a bright
+sand-hill was visible at about nine miles distance to the E.S.E.; which,
+it struck me, was the eastern side of the passage communicating with the
+ocean. Having failed in our attempts to proceed further in the boat, and
+the appearance of the shoals at low water having convinced me of the
+impracticability of it, I determined on an excursion along the sea-shore
+to the southward and eastward, in anxious hopes that it would be a short
+one; for as we had had a series of winds from the S.W. which had now
+changed to the opposite quarter, I feared we should have to pull across
+the lake in our way homewards. I left the camp therefore at an early hour,
+in company with Mr. M'Leay and Fraser, and at day-break arrived opposite
+to the sand-bank I have mentioned. Between us and it the entrance into the
+back water ran. The passage is at all periods of the tide rather more than
+a quarter of a mile in width, and is of sufficient depth for a boat to
+enter, especially on the off side; but a line of dangerous breakers in
+the bay will always prevent an approach to it from the sea, except in the
+calmest weather, whilst the bay itself will always he a hazardous place
+for any vessels to enter under any circumstances.
+
+Having, however, satisfactorily concluded our pursuit, we retraced our
+steps to the camp, and again took the following bearings as we left the
+beach, the strand trending E.S.E. 1/2 E.:--
+
+    Kangaroo Island, S.E. angle        S.  60 degrees W..
+    Low rocky point of Cape Jervis     S.  81 degrees W.
+    Round Hill in centre of Range      S. 164 degrees W.
+    Camp, distant one mile             S. 171 degrees W.
+    Mount Lofty, distant forty miles   N.   9 degrees E.
+
+Before setting sail, a bottle was deposited between four and five feet
+deep in a mound of soft earth and shells, close to the spot on which the
+tent had stood, which contained a paper of the names of the party,
+together with a simple detail of our arrival and departure.
+
+It appeared that the good fortune, which had hitherto attended us was
+still to continue, for the wind which had been contrary, chopped round to
+the S.W., and ere sunset we were again in the mouth of the river, having
+run from fifty to sixty miles under as much canvass as the boat would
+bear, and with a heavy swell during the greater part of the day.
+
+The lake which has thus terminated our journey, is from fifty to sixty
+miles in length, and from thirty to forty in width. With such an expanse
+of water, I am correct in stating its medium depth at four feet. There is
+a large bight in it to the S.E. and a beautiful and extensive bay to the
+N.W. At about seven miles from the mouth of the river, its waters are
+brackish, and at twenty-one miles they are quite salt, whilst seals
+frequent the lower parts. Considering this lake to be of sufficient
+importance, and in anticipation that its shores will, during her reign,
+if not at an earlier period, be peopled by some portion of her subjects,
+I have called it, in well-meant loyalty, "The Lake Alexandrina."
+
+It is remarkable that the Murray has few tributaries below the Darling.
+It receives one, however, of considerable importance from the S.E., to
+which I have given the name of the "Lindesay," as a mark of respect to my
+commanding-officer, and in remembrance of the many acts of kindness I have
+received at his hands.
+
+Having dwelt particularly on the nature of the country through which the
+expedition has passed in the pages of my journal, it may be unnecessary
+for me to enter into any description of it in this place, further than to
+observe, that the limestone continued down to the very coast, and that
+although the country in the neighbourhood of the Lake Alexandrina must,
+from local circumstances, be rich in point of soil, the timber upon it is
+of stunted size, and that it appears to have suffered from drought,
+though not to the same extent with the eastern coast. It is evident,
+however, that its vicinity to high lands does not altogether exempt it
+from such periodical visitations; still I have no doubt that my
+observations upon it will convince His Excellency the Governor, that it is
+well worthy of a closer, and more attentive examination, than I had it in
+my power to make.
+
+In a geographical point of view, I am happy to believe that the result of
+this expedition has been conclusive; and that, combined with the late one,
+it has thrown much light upon the nature of the interior of the vast
+Island; that the decline of waters, as far as the parallel of 139 degrees
+E., is to the south, and that the Darling is to the N.E. as the Murray
+is to the S.E. angle of the coast, the main channel by which the waters of
+the central ranges are thrown or discharged into one great reservoir.
+
+Our journey homewards was only remarkable for its labour: in conclusion,
+therefore, it remains for me to add that we reached the depot on the
+23rd of March.
+
+Our sugar failed us on the 18th of February, and our salt provisions,
+in consequence of the accident which happened to the skiff, on the 8th of
+March; so that from the above period we were living on a reduced ration of
+flour; and as we took few fish, and were generally unsuccessful with our
+guns, the men had seldom more than their bread to eat.
+
+I regretted to observe that they were daily falling off, and that although
+unremitting in their exertions they were well nigh exhausted, ere we
+reached the Morumbidgee.
+
+We were from sunrise to five o'clock on the water, and from the day
+that we left the depot to that of our return we never rested upon our
+oars. We were thirty-nine days gaining the depot from the coast, against
+a strong current in both rivers, being seven more than it took us to go
+down. From the depot to this station we had seventeen days hard pulling,
+making a total of eighty-eight, during which time we could not have
+travelled over less than 2000 miles. I was under the necessity of stopping
+short on the 10th instant, and of detaching two men for the drays, which
+happily arrived on the 17th, on which day our stock of flour failed us.
+Had I not adopted this plan, the men would have become too weak to have
+pulled up to Pondebadgery, and we should no doubt have suffered some
+privations.
+
+This detail will, I am sure, speak more in favour of the men composing the
+party than anything I can say. I would most respectfully recommend them
+all to His Excellency's notice; and I beg to assure him that, during the
+whole of this arduous journey, they were cheerful, zealous, and obedient.
+They had many harassing duties to perform, and their patience and temper
+were often put to severe trials by the natives, of whom we could not have
+seen fewer than 4000 on the Murray alone.
+
+I am to refer His Excellency the Governor to Mr. M'Leay for any more
+immediate information he may require,--to whom I stand indebted on many
+points--and not less in the anxiety he evinced for the success of the
+undertaking, than in the promptitude with which he assisted in the labours
+attendant on our return, and his uniform kindness to the men.
+
+I have the honour to subscribe myself,
+Sir,
+Your most obedient humble Servant,
+CHARLES STURT,
+Captain of the 39th Regt.
+
+The Hon. the Colonial Secretary.
+
+
+
+END OF VOLUME II
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg Etext of Two Expeditions into the Interior of 
+Southern Australia Volume II by Charles Sturt
+