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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Two Expeditions in the Interior of Southern
+Australia, Volume II, by Charles Sturt
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Two Expeditions in the Interior of Southern Australia, Volume II
+
+Author: Charles Sturt
+
+Release Date: June 29, 2009 [EBook #4329]
+Release Date: August, 2003
+First Posted: January 8, 2002
+Last Updated: July 28, 2002
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TWO EXPEDITIONS--SOUTHERN AUSTRALIA ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Col Choat.  HTML version by Al Haines.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+TWO EXPEDITIONS INTO THE INTERIOR OF SOUTHERN AUSTRALIA,
+
+VOLUME II
+
+
+by
+
+Charles Sturt
+
+
+
+
+
+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 Jervis, 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 Underaliga, 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 he
+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 40lb. 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 be 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 he 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 be 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 be 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 be 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 turn, 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-commenced. 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,
+to-morrow," some of them would say, "that I can pull no more."
+To-morrow 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 some 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 PATTER (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.
+This 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.
+
+Breccia.--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 Retepora 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.
+       ------ various?--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 be 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 EBook of Two Expeditions in the Interior of
+Southern Australia, Volume II, by Charles Sturt
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