PLAN OF EXPEDITION.

At length, in the middle of February, after a mortifying delay of nearly five months, an opportunity occurred which held out every prospect of enabling me to complete the examination of the most interesting portion of the north coast, together with the country lying behind it.

Three whale-boats having been procured, an engagement was made with Captain Long of the American whaler Russel, of New Bedford, to convey my party and the boats to some point to the northward of Shark Bay, and there land us, together with a supply of provisions sufficient for five months. My intention was to form a provision depot in some island, and from that point to commence operations by the examination of the undiscovered portions of the bay; and, should circumstances occasionally render it desirable, I proposed to explore more minutely parts of the country as we coasted along, or to make excursions to such a distance inland as we might be able to penetrate.

Having completed the examination of the bay as far as we could with the provisions we carried from the depot, I intended to return to it and, after recruiting our stock, to make my way along the coast in the direction of North-West Cape; making excursions inland as before at such points as might seem to merit attention, and thus to continue to go northward until our provisions were so far exhausted as to compel us to return again to the depot; whence I finally proposed to continue my examination to the portion of the coast left unvisited to the southward of the depot, as far as Gantheaume Bay.

Several of the individuals who were to compose my party being now much experienced in the difficulties that attend explorations both on the coast and in the interior of the country, I felt that our enterprise was not so hazardous as at first it might appear to be, especially as Mr. Hutt had arranged with me as to a spot, to which, in the event of our not returning to Swan River within a certain period the Colonial schooner would be sent to look for us; and moreover the captain of another American whaler had promised to visit North-West Cape at the end of July, as it was his intention to remain in Exmouth Gulf during the season of the bay fishing. We had thus two chances of being discovered in case of any accident preventing us from effecting our previous return to the Swan River.

The unfortunate occurrence which frustrated my expectations of completing this design, and which threatened the eventual destruction of the whole party, will be narrated in its place.

FROM SWAN RIVER FOR SHARK BAY.

I had taken three whale-boats in order to have a spare one should any accident reduce the number; and everything being arranged I sailed in the Russel from Fremantle on Sunday February the 17th 1839 at 3 P.M. with the following party:

Mr. Walker, the Surgeon of the former expedition.

Mr. Frederick Smith, the young gentleman who had accompanied me on a former tour.

Corporal Auger and Corporal Coles, Sappers and Miners.

Thomas Ruston, Sailor.

The last three, together with Mr. Walker, had been with me on the first expedition, and to these were added:

H. Wood and C. Wood, Seamen.

Clotworthy, Stiles, and Hackney, taken as volunteers at Swan River.

And lastly, Kaiber, an intelligent native of the Swan.

Making in all twelve persons.

Our time during the voyage was occupied principally in getting the three whale-boats in order and making other similar preparations. Poor Kaiber the native was dreadfully sick from the first.

Sunday February 24 1839.

This evening we Sighted the centre of Dorre Island, and stood in to within about two miles of the shore, which we found steep and rocky with a heavy surf breaking on it; we then tacked and stood off for the night.

LAND AT BERNIER ISLAND.

February 25.

Soon after daybreak we made the north-western part of Bernier Island and, doubling the point at Kok’s Island, stood in to Shark Bay. Kok’s Island is very remarkable: it is nearly a tableland, about a quarter of a mile in length, terminating in low cliffs at each extremity; and on the summit of this tableland are several large rocks which look like the remains of pillars. The land is low. By noon we were all disembarked on Bernier Island. The point I had selected for landing on was a sandy beach in a little bay, the southern extremity of which was sheltered from the south-east by a reef running off the point. Captain Long of the Russel made the shore rather to the northward of the point I had chosen and, owing to his boat getting broadside on whilst they were landing the goods, he was knocked down under it and nearly drowned.

He had scarcely left us (though the Russel was then more than six miles off) when we found that our keg of tobacco had been left on board; the vessel was soon out of sight, and this article, so necessary in hardships where men are deprived of every other luxury, was lost to us. Everything else was however found correct. Whilst the men under Mr. Walker’s direction were arranging the stores Mr. Smith, Kaiber, and myself started to search for water but were unsuccessful. Whilst on our return we saw three large turtles among some seaweeds in shoal water; and, after a good deal of floundering about and some tumbles amongst the breakers, we succeeded in turning them, and then brought a party armed with axes, etc. and cut them up. One part we immediately converted into soup, and the remainder was immersed in a cask of pickle as a store against unforeseen misfortunes. When these portions of the turtle were put into the brine long after the death of the animals, they quivered for several minutes, as if still endowed with the sense of feeling.

DESCRIPTION OF IT.

Bernier Island consists of recent limestone of a reddish tinge, containing many recent fossil shells, and having a coating of sand and sandy dunes which are arranged in right lines, lying south-east and north-west, the direction of the prevailing winds. The island does not afford a tree or a blade of grass, but only wretched scrubby bushes. Between the dunes regular beds of shells are forming which, when dried and light, are drifted up by the wind. The only animals we saw were kangaroo-rats, one pigeon, one small land- and many seabirds, a few lizards, mosquitoes, ants, crabs, oysters and turtle.

BURY THE STORES. INEFFECTUAL SEARCH FOR WATER.

February 26.

Early this morning we had finished burying our stores. The wind had freshened considerably about daylight, and throughout the day it blew nearly a gale from the south-east; it now looked so foul that I feared a long period of bad weather was about to commence. My own party, as well as the crews of the boats which came off from the whaler, had during the hurry and confusion incident on landing made very free with our supply of water, and as, from the appearance of the island, I felt very doubtful whether we should find any more, I put all hands on an allowance of two pints and a half a day, and then employed the men thus: one party under the direction of Mr. Walker worked at constructing a still, by means of which we might obtain fresh water from salt; another made various attempts to sink a well; whilst the native, another man, and myself traversed the island in search of a supply from the surface.

At night the result of our efforts were recounted, when it appeared that Mr. Walker had, by an ingenious contrivance, managed to have such a still constructed that we might hope, by means of it, if kept constantly working, to obtain just water enough to keep us alive. The party who had tried to sink a well had invariably been stopped by hard limestone rock in every place they had tried, and all their attempts to penetrate it by means of a cold chisel and pickaxe had proved abortive. The party which had been out with me searching for water had not seen the slightest sign which indicated its presence on the island: we had taken a spade with us, but wherever we dug had come down upon the solid rock. Under these circumstances I reduced the allowance to two pints a day.

February 27.

This morning it still blew nearly a gale of wind from the south-east. The men were occupied in the same manner as yesterday; but towards noon the wind moderated a little, and as we could find no water I resolved to make an effort to creep along shore to the southward.

LOSS OF A BOAT IN REEMBARKING.

My boat was soon launched in safety, but the Paul Pry, Mr. Walker’s boat, was not so fortunate; the water in the bay deepened rapidly from the steepness of the bank, and the steersman, who was keeping her bow on whilst the crew were launching, got frightened from the depth of water and the violence of the surf, and let go his hold; when the next surf threw the boat broadside on to the sea and, there being nearly half a ton weight of stores in her, and the wind at this juncture unfortunately freshening, she was in the course of two or three minutes knocked completely to pieces. By this mischance all the stores in the boat were lost, and nothing but a few planks and some articles of clothing were recovered. I placed my own boat at anchor in a little cove for the night and, leaving two men in her as keepers, the rest of us swam ashore through the surf to render what assistance we could.

The loss of this boat was a very heavy misfortune to commence with; but as I had taken the precaution in case of such an accident to provide a spare one it was by no means irremediable; the other boat was all ready for launching within half an hour, for by not allowing the men to remain in a state of inactivity, and by treating the matter lightly, I hoped to prevent their being dispirited by this unlucky circumstance.

The wind however continued freshening rapidly, and during the evening and night we had heavy squalls accompanied by rain from all quarters, and much thunder and lightning. During the night we collected a few quarts of water in the sails.

February 28.

About ten A.M. the wind moderated so much that we ventured to launch our remaining boat, now become the second, and in a few minutes both were riding alongside one another in the little cove. We then commenced pulling along the shore of the island, making about a south by east course. Having the wind very nearly right ahead, and a heavy head-sea, and about half a ton of stores in each of the boats, it was no very enviable position that we were in; but anything appeared preferable to dying of thirst on Bernier Island; my dislike to which was much increased from the fact of Mr. Smith and myself, who slept side by side, having been nearly tormented to death in the night by myriads of minute ants crawling over us, by mosquitoes stinging us, and by an odious land-crab every now and then running over us and feeling with his nippers for a delicate morsel.

PULL FOR DORRE ISLAND.

It was nearly three P.M. when we reached the north-eastern extremity of Dorre Island and found a most convenient little boat harbour, sheltered by a reef from all winds. We therefore stepped out from the boats upon the reef and left them lying comfortably at anchor: a search for water was instantly commenced; Mr. Walker’s party brought some in and we were not a little glad to get it, although we heard that it had been collected by suction from small holes in the rock and then spitting it into the keg. I laid up in store this precious draught, and those who had been otherwise employed now accompanied me, in order that each might suck from the holes in the rock his own supply of water. The point on which we had landed was a flat piece of land covered with sandy dunes which appeared to have been recently gained from the sea, and on all the landward sides of the flat rose steep rocky cliffs, which is the character of the shores of this island. After climbing these cliffs you arrive at a flat tableland which forms the general level of the surface. It was evident that at no very distant time the sea had washed the foot of these cliffs.

DORRE ISLAND. ITS CHARACTER.

This island is exactly of the same nature as Bernier Island, the only difference being that the land here was rather higher than on the former. From the top of the cliffs the prospect was not at all inviting; to the westward lay the level and almost desert land of Dorre Island, which we were on; we had the same prospect to the southward; to the northward we looked over a narrow channel which separated us from the barren isle of Bernier and was blocked up by fearful-looking reefs, on which broke a nasty surf; to the north-eastward lofty bare sandhills were indistinctly visible on the main; whilst to the eastward we could see nothing but the waters of the bay, which were tossed wildly to and fro as if by a coming storm; yet the wind had fallen perceptibly, and the only alarming sign was the peculiar look of the sky. After having made these observations, and sucked up as much bitter dirty water as I could contrive to do, I returned with the others to the boats.

WANT OF WATER.

The holes we found the water in were so small that we could only dip a spoon into a few of them; the men however got plenty to drink and then commenced hunting a small species of kangaroo-rat which is found on these islands, and searching for turtle’s eggs, in both of which pursuits they were very successful. We then made blazing fires from driftwood which we found about, and retired early to rest.

A HURRICANE.

About eleven o’clock I heard a cry of one in great distress, “Mr. Grey, Mr. Grey!” I instantly sprung up and answered the call, when Ruston, the boatkeeper in my boat, said, “I must heave all overboard, Sir, or the boat will be swamped.” “Hold on for a minute or two,” was my answer, whilst I stripped my clothes off. I found that it was blowing a terrific gale of wind which increased every moment in a most extraordinary manner; the wind was from the south-east, and the breakers came pouring over the reef as if the bay was going to empty bodily all its waters into the little cove in which the boats were anchored. I now called Mr. Walker and Mr. Smith and desired them to follow me off to the boats with two or three hands, and then swam out to my own, which I found nearly full of water, and it was all that the boat-keeper could do to keep her head on to the sea. In a minute or two Mr. Walker and Mr. Smith, who were ever foremost in difficulties and dangers, swam off to assist me, but they could not induce any of the men to face the sea and storm, which was now so terrible that they were all quite bewildered. Mr. Walker swam to his own boat; Mr. Smith came to mine. We made fast a line to all the stores, etc. and Mr. Smith boldly plunged in again amongst the breakers and returned ashore with it, a service of no ordinary danger, for the shore was fronted with a sharp coral reef, against which he was certain to be dashed by the waves, and, after having got on it, the breakers would keep knocking him down and thus cutting his legs to pieces against the rocks. Mr. Smith however reached the shore with the line, receiving sundry severe cuts and bruises; and, to my great surprise, in a few minutes more he was again by my side in the boat, baling away: it was still however all we could do to keep the boat afloat.

BOATS DRIVEN ASHORE.

Mr. Walker now called out to me that his boat was drifting, and in a moment more she went ashore. For one second we saw her dancing wildly in over the breakers, and then she disappeared from us, and we were left in uncertainty as to her fate; for, although we were close to the beach, it was impossible, amidst the din of elements, to hear what was taking place there. An occasional vivid flash of lightning showed us dark figures hauling about some huge object, and then again all was wrapped in roar and darkness. Mr. Smith and myself in the meanwhile were baling away, and Ruston was striving with the steer oar to keep her head to sea, for the instant she got the least broadside on the waves broke over her and she filled again.

SERIOUS DANGER OF LOSING THE BOATS.

Mr. Walker, nothing daunted by the conduct of the men, having had his own boat hauled up, again swam off to us, and for the next hour or two we kept the other one not more than half full; but the gale, which had been gradually increasing, now became a perfect hurricane, and it was evident that this boat must also go ashore. We imagined that Mr. Walker’s must be stove in several places; and, as to have been left without a boat would have been certain destruction to us, I swam ashore to have the party ready to try and save mine by hauling her over the reef the instant she grounded.

I arrived there with a few cuts and bruises, and found the men on shore in a most miserable state; many of them were perfectly appalled by the hurricane, never having seen anything of the kind before, and were lying under the lee of the bow of Mr. Walker’s boat, which, although he had drawn it up high and dry upon the sandhills, far above the usual high-water mark, was again more than half full of water and seaweed from the waves every now and then breaking over her stern. It was with great difficulty I roused the men and got them to clear out the seaweed, which lightened her somewhat; we then hauled her up a little at a favourable opportunity, and advanced her so far that we rather gained upon the water by baling, and thus, by degrees, got her quite on land. But as the storm continued the waves still continued to encroach upon the shore, and we were obliged to repeat this operation of hauling up three successive times in the night, which was one of the most fearful I have ever passed. I lay drenched through, my wet shirt sticking close to me and my blanket soaked with water, for I could not find my clothes again after I came ashore. Whenever a flash of lightning broke I looked if the boat was drifting in, and there I saw it still dancing about upon the waves, whilst the elements were so mighty in their power that I felt shrunk up to nothing, and tremulous in my own insignificance.

The grey dawn stole on and the boat gradually became visible; she had drifted somewhat nearer shore, but there still were the three figures discernible in her, Ruston working away at the steer-oar, and Mr. Smith and Mr. Walker alternately baling. The storm now appeared to lull a little and in a few minutes (about half-past five A.M.) it suddenly dropped. The men now looked out again and I could hear Ruston saying, “I believe we are now safe, Sir;” and I immediately ordered that two men should go off and relieve Mr. Smith and Mr. Walker. They evidently feared to make the attempt and said they could not swim, which was true as far as some of them were concerned. I then ordered successively three men who I knew could swim to take advantage of the lull and gain the boat: they all attempted it, but before they got clear of the reef their hearts failed them, and they declared they could not contend with the waves.

RENEWAL OF THE STORM.

Just as the last man had failed, the wind, which had hitherto been from the south-east, shifted instantaneously to the north-west. We all quailed or fell before it, for it came with sudden and indescribable violence; the boat appeared to hesitate for one moment, in the next she came dancing wildly in on the shore. The men reached her as well as they could and we dragged her up. The storm now became so violent that even Mr. Walker, who was a heavy man, was blown about by it like a child; there was not a tree on the island, but the bushes were stripped from the ground, and I found it impossible to keep my legs.

The sea all this time kept rising, being heaped up by the wind against the shore, but whenever a momentary lull came we took advantage of it to drag the boat a little further up; indeed the sea gained on us so much that I had made up my mind it would sweep away the intervening sandhills and once more wash the face of the cliffs. In this case we should to a certainty have all perished.

DISTRESS FOR WATER.

At two P.M. the storm lulled considerably, and I immediately despatched men in all directions to collect water from holes in the rocks, and made the native and an old bushman try to light a fire; for those of us who had been all the night and morning in the pelting rain, with nothing but our shirts on, were benumbed and miserable from cold.

March 1.

The men who had gone out for water soon returned and reported that they had been able to find very little which was not brackish from the spray having dashed over the island; I therefore again reduced the allowance to one pint a day and proceeded to inspect damages. Yesterday we had started in good boats, with strong men, plenty of provisions, everything in the best order; today I found myself in a very different position, all the stores we had with us, with the exception of the salt provisions, were spoilt; our ammunition damaged; the chronometers down; and both boats so stoved and strained as to be quite beyond our powers of repairing them effectually. Moreover from want of water we were compelled to make for the main before we could return back to Bernier Island to recruit from our ample stores there.

REPAIR OF THE BOATS.

Nothing however could be done but to have the boats rendered as seaworthy as possible and, having given this order, the want the men experienced for water was the best guarantee that they would execute this task with the utmost diligence. As soon as I saw them at their work I started with a party in search of water whilst another party under Mr. Smith dug for it; and Mr. Walker superintended the rearrangement of the stores and the digging up the seaweed for the purpose of recovering lost articles. I returned just before nightfall from a vain search; Mr. Smith had been equally unsuccessful in his digging operations, and we thus had to lie down upon the sand parched with thirst, our only chance of forgetting our misfortunes being a few minutes sleep.

THE BOATS NEARLY READY.

March 2.

The men continued working hard at the boats, and it appeared that their task would be concluded this day. I once more started to look for water and to examine the island; but our search was again unsuccessful. On measuring the distance that the sea had risen I found that it had spread up in the direction of our boats fifty-three yards above high water mark; but what will give a better idea of the hurricane is the circumstance of my catching a cormorant on the beach, about seven o’clock on the morning of the 1st, and during the height of the storm, the bird not even attempting to fly, being in appearance completely appalled at the violence of the wind. It was reported to me at night that another hour’s work in the morning would render the boats fit for sea.

Sunday March 3.

The men had slept but little during the night for they were oppressed with thirst; and when I rose in the morning I saw evident symptoms of the coming of another roasting day. They were busy at the boats as soon as they could see to work, whilst Mr. Smith and myself ascended the cliffs to get a view towards the main. When I looked down upon the calm and glassy sea I could scarcely believe it was the same element which within so short a period had worked us such serious damage. To the north-east we could see the lofty white sandhills in Lyell’s Range; to the eastward nothing was visible; yet this was the point to which I had determined to steer, for several reasons. In the first place, the land in that direction had never been visited; and secondly, I had found the shores of Dorre Island covered with great forest trees, which must have been washed across the bay, and which from their size could only have been brought out from the continent by some large and rapid stream, which we at this moment would gladly have seen as there was only about a pint and half of water per man left.

SAIL FOR THE MAIN.

When we returned to breakfast I found the boats nearly ready for sea, and about eleven o’clock they had been all hauled down, the stores stowed away, and everything made ready for launching, and off we went, not a little rejoiced at the prospect of soon having an abundant supply of that liquid on which our lives depended. There was scarcely any wind but that little was right aft so that between sailing and pulling we made about five knots an hour. The boats were however so heavily laden that the men found it very laborious work, for they were exposed to the rays of a burning sun and had nothing to drink but half a pint of water, which was all I could allow them.

We however persevered from soon after eleven A.M. until five P.M., when the men began to get disheartened from seeing no signs whatever of land, and I ordered my boat’s crew to knock off pulling for a little, and in Mr. Walker’s boat, which was about a mile astern, they did the same. In twenty minutes time I made my crew again take to their oars, but the other boat did not in this instance follow our example, so that we kept dropping her rapidly astern. This was very annoying; but as I was anxious at all events to get a glimpse of the land before sundown we still pulled away, trusting that the other boat would soon follow in our wake.

GROUND ON A SANDBANK.

About half an hour before sunset we sighted the land: several low rounded hills were the first things seen; then what I conceived to be very lofty trees rose in sight, and almost at the same moment the boat grounded on a sandbank.

EXTENSIVE SHALLOWS.

I had observed this shoal several miles before we came to it and it appeared to extend as far as I could see both north and south, but, as I had no doubt that we should find sufficient water on it to enable us to cross, I had given it no attention. I now however on looking more carefully could perceive no limit to its extent in those directions and, as I thought I saw deep water immediately to the eastward of us, I ordered the men to jump out and track the boat over. This they did; but on coming to what appeared to be deep water we found it was only a continuation of the same sandbank, covered with seaweed, which gave the water a darker appearance. The men now alternately tracked or pulled the boat for about five miles over a continuation of the sandbank; a work very fatiguing to those who were already exhausted by several days’ continuous exertion on a very short allowance of water in a tropical climate. It had now been for some time night, and we had taken a star for our guide which just before sunset I had seen rising over the main. I thought we had at last gained the shore, at least the boat was close to a dark line rising above the water which appeared like a wooded bank; two of the men now waded onwards to find out the best place for landing and to light a fire that the crew of the other boat might know where we were. I saw them to my surprise not ascend a wooded bank but disappear amongst the trees; and still through the silence of the night I heard the splash of men walking through water, and in a minute or two afterwards the cries and screams of innumerable startled waterfowl and curlews, who came flying in flocks from amongst the mangrove trees.

FAIL IN MAKING THE LAND.

The men returned and reported that there was no land or any sign of land hereabouts; that the mangroves were a belt of trees upon a sandbank and that the water deepened inside; that the tide evidently rose very high, from the tufts of seaweeds in the bushes; that it was then rapidly coming in (which was evident enough, for the boat was afloat) and that the other side of the mangrove bushes was an open sea.

This was unpleasant intelligence. That it was untrue I felt assured; but one man, who certainly could not have seen more than a hundred yards ahead of him on so dark a night, spoke as confidently as if he had seen fifty miles, and this discouraged the others: so by way of keeping their minds occupied I got under weigh again and stood off a little to the southward in the hopes of falling in with the other boat. We cheered at intervals of a few minutes, and fired a gun, whereupon ensued a great screaming, whistling, and flapping of wings amongst the waterfowl, but no human voices were heard in reply.

ANCHOR OFF MANGROVE CREEK FOR THE NIGHT.

When we had gone as far to the southward as I thought prudent I stood out from the shore for about a mile so as to have a good peep in amongst the mangrove bushes in the morning for the other boat, and having dropped our anchor we laid down as we best could for the night; and, speculating upon what explanation the native wise men would give to their fellows of the unknown and novel sounds they had this night heard upon the coast, I soon fell asleep.