We Crossed Two Small Creeks, And, At The End Of Three Miles, We Came To A
Pandanus Brook, The Murmuring Of Whose Waters Over A Rocky Pebbly Bed Was
Heard By Us At A Considerable Distance.
A broad foot-path of the natives
led along its banks, probably to large lagoons, of which it might be the
outlet.
The country became flatter, more densely wooded, and gently
sloping to the northward, when we entered a tea-tree hollow, through
which the mirage indicated the presence of an immense plain, which we all
mistook for the Ocean. We crossed over it to a belt of trees, which I
thought to be its northern boundary. The part of the plain next to the
forest-land was composed of a loose black soil, with excellent grass;
farther on it was a cold clay, either covered with a stiff, dry grass,
apparently laid down by the rush of water, or forming flats bare of
vegetation, which seemed to have been occasionally washed by the tide.
Finding that the belt of trees was a thicket of mangroves along a
salt-water creek, I returned to some shallow lagoons near the forest, the
water of which was drinkable, though brackish and aluminous. To the
westward of the plains, we saw no other limit than two very distant
hills, which I took to be the two hills marked to the southward of the
embouchure of the South Alligator River. To the eastward, we saw another
narrow belt of trees; beyond which, however, the plain evidently
continued. Numerous pillars of smoke were seen to the westward.
A fine north-west breeze set in at three o'clock in the afternoon, and
refreshed us, as well as the cattle, which were suffering most severely
from heat and fatigue.
Dec. 2. - Whilst we were waiting for our bullock, which had returned to
the running brook, a fine native stepped out of the forest with the ease
and grace of an Apollo, with a smiling countenance, and with the
confidence of a man to whom the white face was perfectly familiar. He was
unarmed, but a great number of his companions were keeping back to watch
the reception he should meet with. We received him, of course, most
cordially; and upon being joined by another good-looking little man, we
heard him utter distinctly the words, "Commandant!" "come here!!" "very
good!!!" "what's your name? !!!!" If my readers have at all identified
themselves with my feelings throughout this trying journey; if they have
only imagined a tithe of the difficulties we have encountered, they will
readily imagine the startling effect which these, as it were, magic words
produced - we were electrified - our joy knew no limits, and I was ready to
embrace the fellows, who, seeing the happiness with which they inspired
us, joined, with a most merry grin, in the loud expression of our
feelings. We gave them various presents, particularly leather belts, and
received in return a great number of bunches of goose feathers, which the
natives use to brush away the flies. They knew the white people of
Victoria, and called them Balanda, which is nothing more than
"Hollanders;" a name used by the Malays, from whom they received it. We
had most fortunately a small collection of words, made by Mr. Gilbert
when at Port Essington; so that we were enabled to ask for water (obert);
for the road (allun); for Limbo cardja, which was the name of the
Harbour. I wished very much to induce them to become our guides; and the
two principal men, Eooanberry and Minorelli, promised to accompany us,
but they afterwards changed their minds.
My first object was to find good water, and our sable friends guided us
with the greatest care, pointing out to us the most shady road, to some
wells surrounded with ferns, which were situated in some tea-tree hollows
at the confines of the plains and the forest. These wells, however, were
so small that our horses could not approach to drink, so that we had to
go to another set of wells; where I was obliged to stop, as one of our
horses refused to go any farther. This place was about four miles E.N.E.
from our last camp. The wells were about six or eight feet deep, and dug
through a sandy clay to a stiff bed of clay, on which the water
collected. It would appear that the stiff clay of the plains had been
covered by the sandy detritus of the ridges, from which the water slowly
drained to the wells. It was evident, from the pains which the natives
had taken in digging them, that the supply of fresh water was very
precarious. In many instances, however, I observed that they had been
induced to do so, simply by the want of surface water in the immediate
neighbourhood of places where they obtained their principal supply of
food. This was particularly the case near the sea-coast, where no surface
water is found; whilst the various fish, and even vegetable productions,
attract the natives, who will, in such a case, even contract the habit of
going the longest possible time without water, or, at least, with very
little, as is well shown in Mr. Eyre's journey round the Australian
Bight. We had to water our horses and the bullock with the stew pot; and
had to hobble the latter, to prevent his straying, and attacking the
natives.
The natives were remarkably kind and attentive, and offered us the rind
of the rose-coloured Eugenia apple, the cabbage of the Seaforthia palm, a
fruit which I did not know, and the nut-like swelling of the rhizoma of
either a grass or a sedge. The last had a sweet taste, was very mealy and
nourishing, and the best article of the food of the natives we had yet
tasted. They called it "Allamurr" (the natives of Port Essington,
"Murnatt"), and were extremely fond of it.
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