Meeting and encounter with the natives.

February 11.

The stores we had left behind yesterday were so necessary to us that I was fearful they might be injured or destroyed if left exposed in the bush beyond today, and therefore despatched a party under Mr. Lushington for them.

Some time after they were gone I started from the encampment on foot, with the intention of choosing a track for our route next day, as well as of endeavouring to fall in with my former track in this direction; for by so doing I should be enabled to get the party on the good land without further impediment, and at the same time to complete my map of this part of the country.

Gathering of natives about the camp.

I was accompanied by Corporal Coles and a fine-looking young man about twenty years of age, from the Cape of Good Hope, leaving three men at the camp. Soon after my departure these men heard the voices of natives in the woods, and presently they appeared themselves in numbers which rapidly increased until there were collected together about two hundred men, women, and children. The party at the tents instantly got under arms, and posted themselves on the brow of the hill on which our tents stood; whilst at some distance from its base, and on the opposite side of the stream, the natives were assembled.

The advance of a large armed body from the woods seemed now to indicate that a hostile movement was about to be made; one of my party therefore shouted out to them in a threatening tone, motioning to them at the same time to go away. The natives immediately answered the shout, then halted, and, after apparently consulting together for some time, retired a little. The party at the tents simultaneously took counsel together and, agreeing that it would be imprudent in their small number to hold intercourse, under the existing circumstances, with so large a body of natives, it was resolved not to allow them to approach beyond a certain point, and, in the event of any armed portion passing the stream towards the tents in disregard of their signals, then to fire on them one by one.

Proceedings at the camp.

In the meantime the women and little children moved round the hill, examining everything with the most intense delight: a pony which was in front of the camp more particularly excited their attention; the little children laughed loudly at it, and appeared also to laugh at the party themselves, regarding them much the same way that little boys do a stranger in foreign costume when he appears in the streets of a country village in England. The native men regarded the pony more seriously; they walked round and round, examining it carefully, and when the little stallion, becoming playful from these marks of attention, neighed, put down his head, and prepared to fight and kick vigorously, they all beat a precipitate retreat.

The party at the tents overlooked all their movements and heard every word that was uttered. They describe the language this people spoke as clear, distinct, and agreeable to the ear; the men they observed to be a fine race, tall and athletic: two were remarked in particular, one of whom was very tall, and had his forehead and face painted with white (their sign of mourning, and that there is a death to avenge) whilst the other was of a far lighter shade of colour than the rest, and these two appeared to direct the general movements.

After some time distant shouts were heard from other natives in the direction in which my party had seen me go; and a large body of the native men instantly hurried off in that quarter, headed by the tall man and the light-coloured one I have just mentioned. Then ensued a pause of about two hours, during which the native women and children wandered about in the distance, conversing in groups: suddenly was heard shouts, as of distress, from the same quarter, which were answered by the natives in front of the camp, when all moved off in a hurried manner and were seen there no more. But in the interim another scene connected with this had been passing at a distance.

Events in tracing A road.

On quitting the camp in the morning I and my two companions traversed for some time portions of the elevated sandstone plains which I had passed on a former occasion; and, after an hour’s walking through the gloomy stringy-bark forest which covered them, we reached a stream of water running in a shallow valley; and as there was a bad route down to this I halted to make a road which the ponies could traverse. There was plenty of water and forage hereabouts, and a fine level country for our proceedings, so that we were all in high hopes and spirits, and, as I then believed, our principal difficulties were at an end.

Whilst at work at the road we all thought that we heard a native call, and that others answered him; having listened for a repetition of these sounds we again heard them, but they were so indistinct in character that none of us this time agreed as to what they were. I imagined that it was the call of a bird and, when I again heard the same sound very faintly in the distance, I felt convinced it was not a human voice, and proceeded on my way perfectly at ease.

My attention was soon occupied by other objects. I saw from a hill I ascended some remarkable blue peaks to the south: this gave us fresh hopes; and nothing occurred till about three-quarters of an hour after we had first heard the native call, when we arrived at a short descent covered with rocks, from which started a large kangaroo; I got a fair shot at, and knocked it over, but it sprang up again and hopped away; we then tried to track it but soon lost its footsteps in the scrubby vegetation of the gloomy forest,

It was the duty of the Cape man who accompanied me to mark a tree every here and there by chipping the bark, so that the party might the next day easily recognise the route which they had to pursue; upon looking back I now perceived that he had neglected a very remarkable tree about twenty or thirty yards behind us, and which stood close to the spot where I had fired at the kangaroo. I desired him to go back and chip it, and then to rejoin us; in the meantime I stood musing as to the best means of avoiding the little rocky ravine in our front.

Sudden surprise by natives.

Finding that the man remained absent longer than I had expected I called loudly to him, but received no answer, and therefore passed round some rocks which hid the tree from my view to look after him. Suddenly I saw him close to me breathless and speechless with terror, and a native with his spear fixed in a throwing-stick in full pursuit of him; immediately numbers of other natives burst upon my sight; each tree, each rock, seemed to give forth its black denizen, as if by enchantment.

A moment before, the most solemn silence pervaded these woods. We deemed that not a human being moved within miles of us, and now they rang with savage and ferocious yells, and fierce armed men crowded round us on every side, bent on our destruction.

Contest with them. Unfortunate results.

There was something very terrible in so complete and sudden a surprise. Certain death appeared to stare us in the face: and, from the determined and resolute air of our opponents, I immediately guessed that the man who had first seen them, instead of boldly standing his ground, and calling to Coles and myself for assistance, had at once, like a coward, run away; thus giving the natives confidence in themselves, and a contempt for us: and this conjecture I afterwards ascertained was perfectly true.

We were now fairly engaged for our lives; escape was impossible, and surrender to such enemies out of the question.

As soon as I saw the natives around me I fired one barrel of my gun over the head of him who was pursuing my dismayed attendant, hoping the report would have checked his further career. He proved to be the tall man seen at the camp, painted with white. My shot stopped him not: he still closed on us and his spear whistled by my head; but, whilst he was fixing another in his throwing stick, a ball from my second barrel struck him in the arm and it fell powerless by his side. He now retired behind a rock, but the others still pressed on.

Imminent danger.

I now made the two men retire behind some neighbouring rocks, which formed a kind of protecting parapet along our front and right flank, whilst I took post on the left. Both my barrels were now exhausted; and I desired the other two to fire separately, whilst I was reloading; but to my horror, Coles, who was armed with my rifle, reported hurriedly that the cloth case with which he had covered it for protection against rain had become entangled. His services were thus lost at a most critical moment whilst trying to tear off the lock cover; and the other man was so paralysed with fear that he could do nothing but cry out, “Oh, God! Sir, look at them; look at them!”

In the meantime our opponents pressed more closely round; their spears kept whistling by us, and our fate seemed inevitable. The light coloured man, spoken of at the camp, now appeared to direct their movements. He sprang forward to a rock not more than thirty yards from us and, posting himself behind it, threw a spear with such deadly force and aim that, had I not drawn myself forward by a sudden jerk, it must have gone through my body, and as it was it touched my back in flying by. Another well-directed spear, from a different hand, would have pierced me in the breast, but, in the motion I made to avoid it, it struck upon the stock of my gun, of which it carried away a portion by its force.

All this took place in a few seconds of time, and no shot had been fired but by me. I now recognized in the light-coloured man an old enemy who had led on the former attack against me on the 22nd of December. By his cries and gestures he now appeared to be urging the others to surround and press on us, which they were rapidly doing.

Fall of the native chief.

I saw now that but one thing could be done to save our lives, so I gave Coles my gun to complete the reloading, and took the rifle which he had not yet disengaged from the cover. I tore it off and, stepping out from behind our parapet, advanced to the rock which covered my light-coloured opponent. I had not made two steps in advance when three spears struck me nearly at the same moment, one of which was thrown by him. I felt severely wounded in the hip, but knew not exactly where the others had struck me. The force of all knocked me down, and made me very giddy and faint, but as I fell I heard the savage yells of the natives’ delight and triumph; these recalled me to myself, and, roused by momentary rage and indignation, I made a strong effort, rallied, and in a moment was on my legs; the spear was wrenched from my wound, and my haversack drawn closely over it, that neither my own party nor the natives might see it, and I advanced again steadily to the rock. The man became alarmed and threatened me with his club, yelling most furiously; but as I neared the rock behind which all but his head and arm was covered he fled towards an adjoining one, dodging dexterously, according to the native manner of confusing an assailant and avoiding the cast of his spear; but he was scarcely uncovered in his flight when my rifle ball pierced him through the back between the shoulders, and he fell heavily on his face with a deep groan.

Dispersion of his followers.

The effect was electrical. The tumult of the combat had ceased: not another spear was thrown, not another yell was uttered. Native after native dropped away and noiselessly disappeared. I stood alone with the wretched savage dying before me, and my two men close to me behind the rocks, in the attitude of deep attention; and as I looked round upon the dark rocks and forests, now suddenly silent and lifeless but for the sight of the unhappy being who lay on the ground before me, I could have thought that the whole affair had been a horrid dream.

For a second or two I gazed on the scene and then returned to my former position. I took my gun from Coles, which he had not yet finished loading, and gave him the rifle. I then went up to the other man, and gave him two balls to hold, but when I placed them in his hands they rolled upon the earth he could not hold them, for he was completely paralysed with terror, and they fell through his fingers; the perspiration streamed from every pore; he was ghastly pale and trembled from head to foot; his limbs refused their functions; his eyes were so fixed in the direction in which the natives had disappeared that I could draw his attention to nothing else; and he still continued repeating, “Good God, sir! look at them, look at them.”

The natives had all now concealed themselves, but they were not far off. Presently the wounded man made an effort to raise himself slowly from the ground: some of them instantly came from behind the rocks and trees, without their spears, crowding round him with the greatest tenderness and solicitude; two passed their arms round him, his head drooped senselessly upon his chest, and with hurried steps the whole party wound their way through the forest, their black forms being scarcely distinguishable from the charred trunks of the trees as they receded in the distance.

To have fired upon the other natives when they returned for the wounded man would, in my belief, have been an unnecessary piece of barbarity. I already felt deeply the death of him I had been compelled to shoot: and I believe that when a fellow-creature falls by one’s hand, even in a single combat rendered unavoidable in self-defence, it is impossible not sincerely to regret the force of so cruel a necessity.

Return wounded.

I had now time to attend to my own state and that of my men, and found that they were uninjured. I had been severely wounded in the hip; another spear had just cut my right arm, and a third had deeply indented my powder-flask, whilst lying in a haversack, immediately over my stomach. The men were not, up to this moment, aware of my being wounded, as I had thought it better to conceal this circumstance from them as long as I could. The natives had gone off in the direction of the tents; and as I felt doubtful whether they might seize upon a favourable opportunity to surprise the party there, and thus revenge their defeat, I was anxious to reach the encampment as soon as possible. We therefore bound up my wound as well as we could, picked up the spear which I had drawn out from my hip, and started homewards.

We did not take with us any of the other spears or native weapons which were lying about in abundance; for I still wished to show this people that I was actuated by no ill will towards them. They did not however deal so generously with us; for Coles unfortunately forgot a notebook which he was carrying for me, containing many observations of great value; and I sent back a party to look for it, but the natives had returned to the place and carried off all their own spears, and other weapons, and my notebook likewise.

The first part of our march homewards was managed tolerably well. We saw the tracks of the natives, as if they were still retiring in the direction of the tents; and at one place, close to a group of detached rocks, were several tame native dogs, near which I have no doubt a party of men or women were concealed, as these animals seldom wander far from their masters. We did not however see any natives, and continued our route unmolested.

My wound began by degrees to get very stiff and painful, and I was moreover excessively weak and faint from loss of blood; indeed I grew so dizzy that I could scarcely see, and neither of the others were capable of leading the party back to the tents; yet I was afraid to halt and rest for I imagined that if I allowed my wound to grow cold and benumbed I should then be unable to move; leaning therefore on Coles’s arm, I walked on as rapidly as I could, directing the men which way to go.

Mistake of the route.

Unfortunately however we lost our track and, after walking for nearly two hours, I found that we were far from the encampment, whilst my sight and strength were momentarily failing. Under these circumstances I told Coles to walk in a direction which I gave him, and which led directly across the beaten track of the party; having reached which he could easily make out the encampment, and, leaning on his arm more heavily than before, we again moved on.

Inability to proceed.

Having reached the track of the party and turned southward to follow it I still pushed on until we were within two miles of the tent, when, as I tried to cross a stream, I strained my wounded hip severely, just reached the opposite shore, and fell utterly unable to rise again. Coles, with his usual courage and devotion to me, volunteered to go on alone to the party and send assistance; the other man was to remain with me and keep a lookout for the natives, and, had they again attacked us, I should still have had strength enough to have shot two of them, and thus have sold my life dearly. I desired Coles to say that a tent, stores, the surgeon, and two men were to be sent to me, for that I was not well enough to be moved.

Reflections.

The water of the stream revived me considerably. My wound however was very painful, and the interim between Corporal Coles leaving me, and assistance arriving from the tent was spent in meditations, arising naturally from my present circumstances. I sat upon the rocky edge of a cool clear brook, supported by a small tree. The sun shone out brightly, the dark forest was alive with birds and insects. On such scenery I had loved to meditate when a boy, but now how changed I was; wounded, fatigued, and wandering in an unknown land. In momentary expectation of being attacked my finger was on the trigger, my gun ready to be raised, my eyes and ears busily engaged in detecting the slightest sounds, that I might defend a life which I at that moment believed was ebbing with my blood away; the loveliness of nature was around me, the sun rejoicing in his cloudless career, the birds were filling the woods with their songs, and my friends far away and unapprehensive of my condition, whilst I felt that I was dying there.

And in this way very many explorers yearly die. One poor youth (Mr. Frederick Smith) my own friend and companion, has thus fallen since the circumstances above described took place; others have, to my knowledge, lately perished in a similar way. A strange sun shines upon their lonely graves; the foot of the wild man yet roams over them: but let us hope when civilization has spread so far that their graves will be sacred spots that the future settlers will sometimes shed a tear over the remains of the first explorer, and tell their children how much they are indebted to the enthusiasm, perseverance, and courage of him who lies buried there.

Mr. Walker was by my side within an hour after the time that Coles had left me; he had come on alone ahead of the others, not knowing but that I might be in immediate danger, and therefore running a risk on my account that I can never forget.

He dressed my wound and told me that assistance was at hand to convey me to the tents. Mr. Lushington soon arrived with a pony. It was now growing very late in the day. I therefore did not like to remonstrate against being moved on horseback although, from the position of my wound, I feared that it was an injudicious mode of conveyance in my state. I was placed upon the pony and, supported by my comrades, moved onwards to the tent.

Reach the camp. Consequences of the wound.

I cared but little for the want of comforts I must now be subject to. Therein I only shared the lot of many a worthy soldier; but one thing made the night very wretched, for then through the woods came the piercing shrieks of wailing women and the mournful cries of native men, sorrowing over him who had that day fallen by my hand. These cries rang on my ears all night, startling me at every moment from my feverish and fitful slumbers.

Early next morning the natives moved off in a westerly direction without having again attempted in any way whatever to molest us. My wound was not today so painful as I had anticipated. Mr. Walker, at my request, attempted to heal it by union by the first intention, as I hoped to be thus only compelled to delay the party for a few days.

My pain and suffering were, after the first day, so great, owing to an abscess having formed in my hip, that I was unable to keep a regular journal, and will therefore give a short narrative of the events which occurred, recommencing my journal on the 27th of February, the day on which I was sufficiently recovered to enable me to proceed with the party.

Cape man sent back to the vessel.

Two or three days after I had been wounded the man from the Cape, who had been with me at the time, came to request that he might be allowed to leave the party and return to the vessel. He stated very fairly that his horror and dread of the natives were so great he should never be able to face them; that he had never been before placed in circumstances of danger; and felt himself quite unable to cope with them; that if his own father had been with him when they attacked us he could not have helped him; and that he was sure he should die of fright if ever he saw them again.

I thought it would be cruel to compel him to remain with the party, and it was moreover impossible to tell what evil effect his cowardice might produce upon the others; when already he had, by running away from the natives, induced them to attack us. The only account he gave of this transaction was that he saw a native sitting on a rock with a spear and, feeling alarmed, immediately ran away. No one after this could feel in the least surprised at the consequences. The peculiar characteristic of this savage race appears to be that they in all cases act upon first impulses and impressions. I have repeatedly remarked this trait in their character; and undoubtedly when they found an unknown being in their native wilds, who fled from them in evident fear, it was to be expected that they would, in the first instance, feel very much inclined to run after, and throw a spear at him.

On the 21st of February I sent a party under Mr. Walker back to the schooner for the purpose of escorting this man, as well as to direct the Captain to delay her departure from the bay until the 2nd day of May; which delay would allow time for us to complete the exploration of this part of the country, and I could then decide upon what course I had better adopt.

Events during period of halt.

Mr. Walker returned on the 22nd, having executed both these commissions; and his party brought back for me a little sugar, arrowroot, and wine. All of these were articles of which, in my present state, I stood much in need.

My recovery was a good deal delayed by the circumstances in which I was placed. The heat in the store-tent, a portion of which I occupied, was sometimes as high as 136 degrees of Fahrenheit, and until the return of Mr. Walker I had been able to obtain nothing to eat or drink but damper and tea without sugar; I also reclined upon the ground, until sores broke out from lying on so hard a surface in one position. Corporal Auger latterly however made a sort of low stretcher, which gave me a little more ease. Added to these bodily ills were many mental ones but I will not dwell longer on times so replete with painful recollections.

Anecdote of Ruston.

During the time I was lying in my tent, in great pain and very low spirits, I was attended with every care and kindness by Ruston, the sailor I had brought from the Cape, who occasionally suggested such odd topics of comfort as his philosophy could supply; and one day, either from some expressions I had dropped, or other circumstance, he conceived that the death of the native I had shot was preying most upon my mind; under this impression he came into the tent, seated himself on a flour-bag near me, and made his usual inquiries as to my wants and desires; then, glancing at recent events, proceeded to say: “Well, Sir, I’m sure if I were you, I shouldn’t think nothing at all of having shot that there black fellow; why, Sir, they’re very thick and plentiful up the country.” I did not exactly see the consolation to be derived from this argument of Ruston’s, but I could not forbear smiling at its quaintness, and feeling grateful for the kindness with which it was intended.

Track found.

During my illness Mr. Lushington explored a track to the westward of the one I had formerly taken, and of which he reported so favourably that I determined to pursue it. According to his account, by following it for seven or eight miles, we should get altogether clear of the sandstone ranges, and enter a tract of country of great fertility. On the 26th Mr. Walker reported me to be so much better that he thought I might with safety move on the next day on horseback, and preparations were accordingly made for a start.

A very serious change had taken place in our resources in one respect, for only fourteen ponies now remained alive out of twenty-six, and many of these were so weak and in such bad condition as to be almost useless. On opening one of those which had died about a hat-full of sand was found in its inside, and it therefore appeared very probable that the ponies, having been landed in the first instance on loose sandy soil producing only a short and scanty vegetation, had taken up so much sand with their food as to interfere with the functions of the stomach, and hence had arisen their gradual wasting away and ultimate death. I indeed entertain no doubt that the great loss of ponies we sustained arose from this cause.

Change of plans.

This reduction in the number of our beasts of burden prevented me from entertaining further hope of being able to proceed for any great distance parallel to the coast in a southerly direction. I therefore formed a depot at our present encampment, burying all such stores as the remaining ponies were unable to carry on. My intentions being merely to proceed as far as the supply of provisions we could carry with us would last, then to return to our position, and from thence to the schooner.

Description of A new volcanic country.

On the morning of the 27th of February I was, in pursuance of this plan of operations, lifted on my horse, and we moved on in a south-west direction, across sandy plains covered with scrub and a species of stringy-bark; but on travelling for about a mile and a half the character of the country became more rocky and difficult. After moving down a slight descent, we came to a rapid stream, the same one on the banks of which I had heard the natives’ calls on the day I was wounded; the banks afforded good food for the horses and trees which offered some shelter to the men from the burning heat of the sun. I determined therefore to halt here for breakfast; indeed the horses were so completely knocked up that they were incapable of travelling any further. We had already been compelled to abandon one of them in a dying state since we had started in the morning.

We halted for about an hour and a half and then recommenced our journey, but were unfortunate enough to miss the marked trees, and therefore wandered a good deal in our attempts to find the right track. Whilst thus roaming in the wood we passed two spots about one hundred yards distant from each other, which I imagined to be native burying-places: they consisted of piles of small loose stones so heaped together as to form a large mound; these mounds were placed on flat bare rocks, one of them, the smaller, had been recently made, the other was larger and much older, for it was partly overgrown with plants.

View from the sandstone range.

About 2 P.M. we reached the extremity of the sandstone ridges and a magnificent view burst upon us. From the summit of the hills on which we stood an almost precipitous descent led into a fertile plain below; and from this part, away to the southward, for thirty to forty miles, stretched a low luxuriant country, broken by conical peaks and rounded hills which were richly grassed to their very summits. The plains and hills were both thinly wooded, and curving lines of shady trees marked out the courses of numerous streams. Since I have visited this spot I have traversed large portions of Australia but have seen no land, no scenery to equal it. We were upon the confines of a great volcanic district, clothed with tropical vegetation, to which the Isle of France bears a greater resemblance than any other portion of the world which I am acquainted with. The rocks in both places are identical; many of the trees are also the same; and there are several other close and striking points of similarity.

Descent from the sandstone range into the low country.

The descent into the lowlands, being very difficult, occupied us nearly two hours; we then gained the bed of a ravine, in which ran a clear stream: the ravine gradually widening out as we reached the plains. I proceeded directly down it in the direction of a lofty peaked hill which bore to the westward of south; and, having gained a shoulder of this hill, we halted for the night.

Immediately above us a perfectly conical peak raised its head to the height of at least five hundred feet; this hill was covered with rich grass, and there could be no doubt that it was of volcanic origin, for the rock of which it was composed was a vitrified lava resembling that of Ascension. It is from this lava that the natives form their most deadly spears, for which purpose it answers well, as it fractures easily, and the fracture resembles that of the coarse green glass of England; indeed a lump of this rock might readily be taken for a part of a glass bottle.

(Footnote. This hill may be easily recognized by a precipitous cavity near the summit on its southern side, which may be seen at some distance.)

The horses and sheep revelled in the luxuriant pasture. The hill we had encamped on formed a sort of plateau; behind us stood dark mountains, and in our front lay fertile plains, from which green hills rose one behind the other until they were lost in the distance, without any perceptible change in the character of the country. To the eastward the prospect was similar, as well as to the westward, except that in this direction the hills were more lofty, and behind these the tropical sun was hurrying down with a rapidity of movement never witnessed by those who live in the gloomy climes of the north. The men all looked healthy and full of hope; the cool sea-breeze refreshed my feverish frame: I painted in fancy the rapid progress that this country would ere long make in commerce and civilization, and my weakness and fatigues were all forgotten.

Distant expanse of water.

February 28.

At dawn this morning the sheep could not be found; tempted by the goodness of the feed they had broken out from the little enclosure we had made for them and had wandered off. The stock-keeper and two of the men, having ascended the conical hill behind us to try if they could see them from it, reported on their return that they could descry a large lake or expanse of water, which bore about south by west from us.

Vexatious delays.

Whilst the search for the sheep was continued I sent another party up the hill to observe more particularly this sheet of water, who returned with a report similar to that of the stock-keeper, and I therefore determined, as soon as everything had been prepared for starting, to move off in the direction pointed out; unfortunately the sheep were not found till near noon but, as I was afraid we should consequently lose a whole day, I started directly after they were brought in. We had not proceeded more than half a mile ere I had cause to repent this measure, for two or three of the men suffered severely from exposure to the sun, and one of them became so unwell that I was obliged to halt the party.

The spot I chose was the bank of a stream, shaded over by dense trees and, if anything could have atoned for the mortification of being compelled to halt when so anxious to get on, the cool beauty of this spot would have done so.

When the sun began to fall we again moved on, following the course of the stream, which ran through a fertile valley about two miles wide and bounded on either side by gently sloping hills, extending through a country thinly wooded. We did not halt until after sunset.

March 1.

This morning we resumed our route along the banks of the stream, which continued gradually to increase in size. The marshy ground now extended further from its banks and, in order to free ourselves from this, I ascended some rising ground to the eastward, along which we pursued our route until we fell in with another rapid stream running from the eastward, and were again involved in marshy land, which delayed us for some time ere we found a point where loaded ponies could pass. At length however, having succeeded in getting clear of these obstructions, we continued our southerly course till we came to a deep stream running from south-south-east; but, not being able to cross it there, we travelled along its banks until a ford was found; and as soon as we had passed over I halted for breakfast.

Beautiful basaltic country.

We had traversed a most beautiful country this morning, composed of basaltic rocks and fine alluvial soil, whilst, from the size and number of the streams, it must be as well watered as any region in the world. Before we had completed our breakfast violent tropical rains set in; these were so cold that some of the men got into the stream, the waters of which were comparatively warm, and they thus saved themselves from the painful feeling caused by very cold water falling on the pores, which had been previously opened by profuse perspiration. The heavy rains continued without intermission for the remainder of the day and night, and two of the men were, on this occasion, attacked with dysentery, caused, I believe, by cold and exposure.

Discovery and character of the Glenelg river.

March 2.

We started at dawn, crossing a series of low ridges which ran out from a chain of hills to the eastward of us, and increased in elevation as we proceeded to the south. We passed numerous streams, and the country generally continued of a very rich and fertile character: at last, from the top of one of these ridges, there burst upon the sight a noble river, running through a beautiful country, and, where we saw it, at least three or four miles across, and studded with numerous verdant islands. I have since seen many Australian rivers, but none to equal this either in magnitude or beauty.

I at once named it the Glenelg in compliment to the Right Honourable Lord
Glenelg, to whom we were all under great obligations.

Impediments from marshes and streams. Ineffectual attempt to reach it.

My anxiety to reach this stream was too great to allow me to pass much time in looking at it, so, after I had taken a few bearings to the most remarkable points in the neighbourhood, we wound down the steep descent in front, and continued our advance towards the river, but were still at least five miles from it when we became involved in low marshy ground, traversed by deep sluggish streams, the banks of which were encumbered by a dense vegetation. Such a country, though admirably adapted both for commerce and agriculture, offered almost insurmountable difficulties to first explorers, at least to such as were compelled to move rapidly. We at last became so completely entangled in a marsh that further progress was hopeless, and we halted to prepare breakfast whilst a party searched for a path by which we might be enabled to proceed.

My wound was still open and my sufferings from it were great; whenever we moved on I was lifted on the pony, and when we halted I was lifted off again and laid on the ground, where weakness compelled me to remain during the whole period of our halt; and on occasions like the present, when most anxious myself to search for a route, I was obliged to lie still like a helpless child. My mind was as active and as ready for exertion as ever, yet the weak frame, of which it felt perfectly independent, was incapable of seconding my most moderate wishes; and the annoyance I experienced at finding myself in this state long retarded my recovery and rendered me weaker every day.

At length a route was found, and until sunset we continued our journey over a very difficult but fertile country, and then halted for the night on a small elevation, embosomed amidst conical hills which rose from verdant meadows, watered by several streams. The country was thinly timbered.

The spot we had halted at was so thickly tenanted with mosquitoes that it was impossible to sleep. I therefore laid awake, listening to the cries of the sea-birds and watching the brilliant fire-flies moving about in the dark foliage of the trees.

Progress towards the upper part of the Glenelg.

March 3.

Before the first dawn I called some of the party and we started off to visit the banks of the river. The first part of our journey lay across rich grassy flats, thinly wooded with large shady trees, or over gently rising grounds, on which grew an abundance of young grass which appeared to be a species of oat. These rising grounds were thinly wooded with a small sort of gum tree, called in the Isle of France the Bois noir.

We soon reached low marshy land intersected with large dry mud flats and, as it was impossible, from the nature of the country, to get the pony further, I tethered it, and we tried to make the river on foot. The position which we had selected was however so unfavourable that we did not succeed in reaching the river, and my wound became so painful that I was scarcely able to crawl back to the pony.

We then returned to the tents, which we reached in the afternoon, and I sent another party out to examine the country and to see if they could find a more favourable position for the tent where we might be less exposed to the mosquitoes. The remainder of the men were employed in repairing the packsaddles and in mending our shoes, which were in a very dilapidated condition. The detached party, on their return, reported that they could not find a more favourable position for the tents; and that we appeared to be on a low marshy tongue of land which the river nearly flowed round. We this day saw the tracks of an emu, and of several large dogs, and kangaroos.

Ascend A hill.

March 4.

By sunrise I had gained the foot of the highest hill near our encampment. It is a very remarkable rocky eminence; in height above the immediate base it was only 250 feet, but it rose by a regular steep slope from the river, which was distant about four miles. I do not think therefore that its height above the level of the sea was less than 800 feet. I was unable to ride up this hill, from the rocky nature of the ground, which was composed of a basalt resembling that of the Isle of France; its sides were slightly wooded and clothed with a fine grass nearly as high as myself. From the heaviness of the dew, walking through a river would have been about as agreeable as walking through this grass; but when I had reached the summit the view amply repaid me for the trouble of the ascent.

View of the Glenelg from it.

The river flowed through a rich and fertile country at the base of the hill, having in some places hereabouts a triple channel formed by large and apparently fertile islands, and its width must have been at least three or four miles; it however ran away so much to the north-eastward that I began to fear it might be a great salt-water inlet, communicating in some manner with Prince Regent’s River, and that we might thus find ourselves upon a large island. I had a good view of the valley for 10 or 12 miles in an easterly direction over a country still very fertile, but all that I saw tended to make me believe that the river had some communication with the sea, somewhere towards the north-east.

We reached the camp before breakfast; and, as this was Sunday and our ponies were rapidly improving from the goodness of their feed, I determined to halt here for a day or two whilst a detachment examined the country to ascertain, if possible, whether we were on an island or not, and whether it was possible to cross the river near our present position.

March 5.

This morning accordingly an exploring party started; and, as it was necessary that they should traverse the country on foot so as to be able to cross the low marshy grounds near the river, I was, on account of my wound, unable to accompany them, and therefore occupied myself in making a set of magnetic observations.

March 6.

This afternoon Mr. Lushington and the party returned, having found the northern bank of the river to consist of low marshy ground covered with a luxuriant vegetation, and in some places with such forests of mangrove trees that it was impossible to approach the stream. They however succeeded in reaching one of the channels of the river, which was upwards of 400 yards wide; the rise and fall of tide was here about twenty feet, and the current, of course, extremely rapid. They reported the river as being, to all appearance, navigable, and that the tide only set in from the westward.

The river.

As the southern bank of the river was bordered by high rocky hills they saw nothing of the country in that direction. Their report was on the whole satisfactory, for it appeared that the good country still extended along the northern bank, and that we were upon the mainland.

Porpoises seen.

A good idea may be formed of the size of the river where the party made it from the circumstance of their seeing a large shoal of porpoises.

Iguana. Denseness of vegetation.

March 7.

This morning we started early in a north-easterly direction and travelled all day through a very fertile and picturesque country. On our left lay hills covered with grass, and on our right extensive plains, through which ran the Glenelg. The vegetation in these was so luxuriant that it choked the fresh water up; and whole plains were sometimes thus inundated ankle deep. The country was thinly timbered, but in general the trees were of a very great size: one particularly took my fancy, having very large leaves about the colour of those of the horse-chestnut, and which cast more shade around them than any other which I have seen in Australia.

In the afternoon, as we were passing through a densely vegetated bottom, we saw a very large iguana run up a tree. This brute was of a beautiful green colour and five or six feet long; it sat on the tree, making a noise somewhat like a snake, and was the largest and ugliest of the lizard tribe which I have ever seen on land. As we could make no use of it I thought it would be wanton to kill it; so, after examining it as well as we could, we moved on, leaving it undisturbed.

The black flies on this day changed their character, and became much smaller than those I had hitherto seen.

March 8.

We made but little progress today on account of the denseness of the vegetation, which was so luxuriant that we found great difficulty in forcing our way through it; in several instances indeed it was wholly impassable; and, after making an attempt to penetrate through a jungle, we were obliged to turn about and coast round it. The numerous streams we met with were also a serious impediment, for many of these were so muddy and deep that we had great difficulty in finding a place where we could cross.

Signs of natives.

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

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

March 9.

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

Cascade of the river.

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

March 10.

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

Inconvenient halting place.

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