Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia Volume I Part 41

Result of his survey.

Send off a courier to Sydney.

Marks of Mr. Dixon.

Tandogo Creek and magnificent pine forest.

Hervey's range in sight.

Improved appearance of the country.

Meet the natives who first accompanied us.

Arrive at a cattle station.

Learn that Mr. Cunningham had been killed by natives.

Cookopie ponds.

Goobang Creek.

Character of the river Bogan.

Native inhabitants on its banks.

Their mode of fishing.

Manners and customs.

Prepare to quit the party.

The boats.

Plan of encampment.

Mount Juson.

Leave the party and mark a new line of ascent to Hervey's range.

Get upon a road.

Arrive at Buree.

THE PARTY LEAVES THE DARLING.

August 13.

This morning we finally quitted Fort Bourke and the banks of the Darling to return by our former route along the Bogan. We halted within a mile of our previous encampment, and again drank of the waters of that river, but from a very shallow pond, that which we formerly had recourse to being quite dry.

NATIVES APPROACH THE CAMP DURING THE NIGHT.

August 14.

We continued the journey most prosperously, all things considered, and bivouacked beside a large pond two miles beyond our ground of the 23rd May. We saw natives all about, but they did not venture too near us. I supposed they were of the tribe which formerly behaved so well when we pa.s.sed these ponds. About eight P.M. however we perceived numerous fire-sticks approaching among the bushes; and though I counted nine in motion yet I heard no noise. I directed the men to be silent, curious to know what these people meant to do. At length, when the lights had approached within 150 yards of our camp, everyone suddenly disappeared; the bearers preserving all the while the most perfect silence. I then thought it advisable to scare these natives away, supposing that they were lurking about our camp with the intention to steal.

SCARED BY A ROCKET.

I accordingly placed some men with instructions to rush forward shouting as soon as I should send up a rocket. Its ascent and our sudden accompanying noise had no doubt a tremendous effect on the natives, for even in the morning they remained at a respectful distance.

August 15.

We began to discover some signs of vegetation in the earth. Blades of green gra.s.s appeared among the yellow stalks, and on the plains we found a new species of Danthonia;* the whole country indeed already wore a better appearance than on any part of the Darling. We pa.s.sed our station of 22nd May about a mile and encamped close to a good pond. Several natives' huts were near, at which the fires were still burning; the inhabitants having fled; but I forbade the men to go near these huts, or touch a stone hatchet and some carved boomerangs which had been left behind. A native dog lay as if watching these implements; and it barked on my approaching one of the huts, a circ.u.mstance unusual in one of these animals. Soon after four natives came up shouting, and two of them having advanced in front, sat down, but we took no notice of them, thinking that they had followed from the last camp, and belonged to the fire-stick visitors; they called back the fugitives however and encamped together on a pond lower down.

(*Footnote. Danthonia lappacea, Lindley ma.n.u.scripts; spicis geminatis foliis brevioribus, palea inferiore sericea cornea; laciniis lateralibus foliatis divaricatis arista rigida brevioribus.)

August 16.

As we moved off about eight this morning the blacks hung about in groups but we paid no attention to them. We had now, happily for both parties, arrived where the natives had probably heard of firearms, and of the numerous white men beyond the hills, neither were the blacks of these parts ever known to behave like the savages on the lower Darling. I sought in vain for my lost telescope during this day's journey; the natives having probably found it, as the whole line of our track was much marked with their footsteps. We reached our former camp of May 20 and 21 by two o'clock, and again pitched our tents near that spot.

August 17.

Nineteen of our bullocks had strayed during the night, but were found about seven miles back, in a scrub near the Bogan. We did not therefore start until ten o'clock, but were able nevertheless to cross the Pink hills, and reach our ground of May 19.

DISCOVERY OF THE CAPER-TREE.

Today I fell in with a tree of which I saw but a single specimen during my former journey,* and I had observed only a sickly one before during this expedition. It bore a yellow flower, and fruit resembling a small pomegranate, on a hooked stalk. I had unfortunately omitted to gather specimens of it when seen by me in flower in 1831; and now I could not procure any of the seeds, every rind being hollow, and the interior destroyed apparently by insects. I considered this a very remarkable tree as well from its rare occurrence as on account of its fruit, of which the natives appear to make some use.

(*Footnote. See above.)

The Pink hills, as I have already mentioned, consist of the diluvial gravel, and their position at the point separating the tributary basin of the Macquarie and Bogan from the channel of the Darling is just where such a deposit might be produced.

August 18.

I was more successful in my search this morning for seeds of the fruit above-mentioned; and I was surprised to find many specimens of the tree in the scrub through which we had previously pa.s.sed without observing them. On one plant we found some fruit apparently full-grown, but not ripe; and on others perfect specimens of the last year's crop, including, of course, the seeds. The fruit resembles a small lemon but has within small nuts or stones enveloped in a soft pulp, and the whole has an agreeable perfume. We also found some specimens of the flower, rather faded.* We reached our old encampment of May 18 by three o'clock.

(*Footnote. My friend Dr. Lindley considers this one of the most interesting plants brought home by me, and has described it as follows:

Capparis Mitch.e.l.lii, Lindley ma.n.u.scripts; stipulis spinosis, foliis obovatis supra glabris, pedunculis floris solitariis clavatis foliis brevioribus, fructu sphaerico tomentoso. A fine specimen of Capparis related to C. sandwichiana.)

August 19.

When all were ready to start it was discovered that one bullock was missing; the two men who had been in charge of the cattle all night were sent in search of it, while the party proceeded towards our former camp of May 17. As our route between these camps traversed the great bend where the course of the Bogan changes from north to west-north-west I was enabled to cut off four miles by travelling North 145 degrees East a part of the way.

THE KANGAROOS AND EMUS DRIVEN AWAY BY THE NATIVES.

We crossed some undulating ground with an open forest upon it in which we killed two large kangaroos. We supposed, on account of this success, that we had outwitted the blacks by our cross course; for we had reason to suspect that they proceeded ahead of us along our old track and drove off the emu and kangaroo as we seldom saw either. We however surprised two natives cutting away at an opossum's hole in a tree at some distance to our left; and on seeing us they made off with great speed towards the northern bend of the river and our former route.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PLAINS OF THE DARLING AND BOGAN.

On reaching our old encampment we discovered new beauty in the plains on the Bogan when compared with those on the banks of the Darling. There we dreaded plains, the surface being soft and uneven. Here on the contrary they delighted the eye with their great levelness, while the firmer surface was no less agreeable to the foot. The gra.s.s also had been so cleanly burnt off that the surface resembled a floor, and although such a piece of perfect level country, extending for miles, was by no means a common feature, it was perhaps more striking to us, on coming from the soft plains, on account of its firmness, neither hoofs nor wheels leaving any impression upon it. The two men came in with the stray bullock soon after the tents were pitched, and thus our party was again in a state to move forward.

EXTREME ILLNESS OF ONE OF THE PARTY.

One of the men, Robert Whiting, who had been long afflicted with the black scurvy, continued to get weaker daily; and it seemed very doubtful whether his life could be preserved until we should reach a station where vegetables might be procured. In other respects he was as well off as if in a hospital; the proper medicines were given to him, he was kept warm in a tent, and on the journey he was conveyed in a covered van. He was however sinking daily, all his teeth were dropping out, and yet, poor fellow, he had been, when in health, one of the most indefatigable of the party, and had been also with me on my journey to the northward. He did not look the same man on this occasion from the first setting out; and it was evident that he had brought the disease from an ironed gang where it had been prevalent some time before.

NEW YEAR'S RANGE.

August 20.

Following our old route we crossed the extremities of New Year's range, and at the rocky point where it was first seen by us I obtained bearings on it, and several other heights to the westward which I had seen also from that range. The sky was obscured this morning by a kind of smoky haze which brought with it a smell of burning gra.s.s. It was evident that either the Macquarie marshes or some other extensive tract to the eastward was on fire, as the wind blew from that quarter. The obscurity continued during the whole of the day, and the smell also. As we crossed the plain, which appeared to Captain Sturt like a "broad and rapid river," the dogs killed an emu, and thus we were now pretty well supplied with fresh meat. We at length encamped where we first came to the creek, after descending from New Year's range, having found a good pond there.

A THUNDERSTORM.

August 21.

Early this morning we were all awakened by the unwonted sound of THUNDER, the first we had heard after having been 4 1/2 months in the interior.

The wind had been high during the night, but a dead calm preceded the rumbling peals which were first heard at a great distance. Soon however we had the cloud near enough in all its glory, with lightning playing above and about us, until the atmosphere seemed one continued blaze of light; the rain also fell heavily for a short time. At daylight the sky was cloudy, and it seemed that the drought was about to break up; at least this was the most remarkable change in the weather which we had met with on the journey; and as we were doubtful about the state of the ponds of the Bogan I was well pleased with the prospect of rain. We proceeded to the old camp of May 15, where we again pitched our tents. There was not much rain during the day, but about sunset a heavy cloud accompanied by thunder and a squall broke over us. Soon after the wind lulled, the sky became clear, and in the morning we found ice on the water; the atmosphere having resumed its usual serenity.

THREE NATIVES REMIND US OF THE MAN WOUNDED. FRIENDLY INTERVIEW.