For This Purpose I Had Taken A Tomahawk With Me, Well
Knowing How Little I Could Rely On Brown For Finding His Old Tracks; But,
With The Tomahawk, He Succeeded Very Well; For His Quick Eye Discovered,
From Afar, The Practicability Of The Road.
We succeeded at last, and,
after many windings, reached our camp, even quicker than we had
anticipated.
Charley returned next morning, and reported that he had
found a descent, but very far off. This "very far off" of Charley was
full of meaning which I well understood.
During the night we had a very heavy thunder-storm which filled our creek
and made its numerous waterfalls roar.
Nov. 20. - We proceeded on our tree-marked line to the slope, and
descending, arrived, after some difficulty, safe and sound in the valley.
Our horses and cattle were, however, in a distressing condition. The
passage along rocky creeks, between the loose blocks of which their feet
were constantly slipping, had rendered them very foot-sore, and had
covered their legs with sores. The feed had latterly consisted either of
coarse grasses, or a small sedge, which they did not like. But, in the
valley, all the tender grasses reappeared in the utmost profusion, on
which horses and bullocks fed most greedily during the short rest I
allowed them after reaching the foot of the slope. The creek formed a
fine waterfall of very great height, like a silver belt between rich
green vegetation, behind which the bare mountain walls alone were
visible. I proceeded down the creek about three miles to the north-west,
when it joined a larger creek from the south-west. Here one of our two
remaining bullocks refused to go any further; and as our meat bags were
empty, I decided upon stopping in this favourable spot to kill the
bullock.
Careya arborea, the broad-leaved Terminalia, Coniogeton arborescens, an
umbrageous white-gum tree, and Pandanus, together with the luxuriant
young grass, gave to the country a most pleasing aspect. But the late
thunder-storm had rendered the ground very damp, and that with the
mawkish smell of our drying meat, soon made our camp very disagreeable.
In the rocky gullies of the table land, we had observed a great number of
shrubs, amongst which a species of Pleurandra, a dwarf Calythrix, a
prostrate woolly Grevillea, and a red Melaleuca, were the most
interesting. Near the slope by which we entered the valley, a species of
Achras was found, but with a much smaller fruit than that of Port
Jackson.
The melodious whistle of a bird was frequently heard in the most rocky
and wretched spots of the table land. It raised its voice, a slow full
whistle, by five or six successive half-notes; which was very pleasing,
and frequently the only relief while passing through this most perplexing
country. The bullock was killed in the afternoon of the 20th, and on the
21st the meat was cut up and put out to dry; the afternoon was very
favourable for this purpose; but, at night rain set in, and with the
sultry weather rendered the meat very bad. The mornings were generally
sultry and cloudy; during the afternoon the clouds cleared off with the
sea-breeze: and towards sunset thunder-storms rose, and the nights were
rainy, which prevented me from making observations to ascertain my
latitude. The longitude of the descent, was, according to reckoning, 132
degrees 50 minutes. A little before sunset of the 21st four natives came
to our camp; they made us presents of red ochre, which they seemed to
value highly, of a spear and a spear's head made of baked sandstone (GRES
LUSTRE). In return I gave them a few nails; and as I was under the
necessity of parting with every thing heavy which was not of immediate
use for our support, I also gave them my geological hammer. One of the
natives was a tall, but slim man; the others were of smaller size, but
all had a mild and pleasing expression of countenance.
Large fish betrayed their presence in the deep water by splashing during
the night: and Charley asserted that he had seen the tracks of a
crocodile. Swarms of whistling ducks occupied the large ponds in the
creek: but our shot was all used, and the small iron-pebbles which were
used as a substitute, were not heavy enough to kill even a duck. Some
balls, however, were still left, but these we kept for occasions of
urgent necessity.
Nov. 22. - As our meat was not sufficiently dry for packing we remained
here the whole of this day; but, at night, the heaviest thunder-storm we
perhaps had ever experienced, poured down and again wetted it; we
succeeded, however, notwithstanding this interruption, in drying it
without much taint; but its soft state enabled the maggots to nestle in
it; and the rain to which it had been exposed, rendered it very insipid.
Poor Redmond, the last of our bullocks, came frequently to the spot where
his late companion had been killed; but finding that he was gone, he
returned to his abundant feed, and when I loaded him to continue our
journey down the river he was full and sleek. It was interesting to
observe how the bullocks on all previous occasions, almost invariably
took cognizance of the place where one of their number had been killed.
They would visit it either during the night or the next day, walk round
the spot, lift their tails, snuff the air with an occasional shake of
their horns, and sometimes, set off in a gallop.
Nov. 23. - We travelled about eight miles north-west over an equally fine
country. A high range of Pegmatite descended from the table land far into
the valley, from east to west; and an isolated peak was seen to the west
of it at the left bank of the river.
The Eugenia with scarlet fruit, and another species with rose-coloured
fruit, of most exquisite taste - particularly when the seed was abortive,
and the pericarp more developed - were abundant on the flats of the river;
and Aemena?, with smaller fruit and thin acidulous rind, grew straggling
on the ridges.
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