As The Dung And Tracks Of The Buffaloes Were Fresh, Charley
Went To Track Them, Whilst Brown Tried To Shoot Some Ibises, Which Had
Been At The Water And Were Now Perched On A Tree About 300 Yards Off.
At
the discharge of the gun a buffalo started out of a thicket, but did not
seem inclined to go far; Brown returned, loaded his gun with ball, went
after the buffalo and wounded him in the shoulder.
When Charley came back
to the camp, he, Brown and Mr. Roper pursued the buffalo on horseback,
and after a long run, and some charges, succeeded in killing it. It was a
young bull, about three years old, and in most excellent condition. This
was a great, a most fortunate event for us; for our meat bags were almost
empty, and, as we did not wish to kill Redmond, our good companion, we
had the prospect of some days of starvation before us. We could now share
freely with our black friends, and they had not the slightest objection
to eat the fresh meat, after baking it in their usual manner. They called
the buffalo "Anaborro;" and stated that the country before us was full of
them. These buffaloes are the offspring of the stock which had either
strayed from the settlement at Raffles Bay, or had been left behind when
that establishment was broken up. They were originally introduced from
the Malay islands. I was struck with the remarkable thickness of their
skin, (almost an inch) and with the solidity of their bones, which
contained little marrow; but that little was extremely savoury.
We had a heavy thunder-storm at 10 o'clock at night from the southward.
Dec. 12. - Part of the meat was cut up and dried, and part of it was
roasted to take with us; a great part of it was given to the natives, who
were baking and eating the whole day; and when they could eat no more
meat, they went into the plains to collect "Imberbi" and Murnatt, to add
the necessary quantum of vegetable matter to their diet. The sultry
weather, however, caused a great part of the meat to become tainted and
maggotty. Our friend Nyuall became ill, and complained of a violent
headache, which he tried to cure by tying a string tightly round his
head.
The black ibis, cocatua, kites, crows, and a small black and white
species of heron, frequented our water-hole.
The night was extremely close, and, to find some relief, I took a bath;
which gave me, however, a very annoying inflammation of the eyes.
Dec. 13. - At day break, an old man, whom Nyuall introduced to us as
Commandant, came with his gin, and invited us to his camp, about two
miles off. We went to it with the intention of continuing our journey,
and found a great number of women and children collected in very spacious
huts or sheds, probably with the intention of seeing us pass. They had a
domestic dog, which seemed very ferocious. A little farther on, we came
to a small creek, with good water-holes, and our guides wished us to
stop; but, when I told them that we were desirous of reaching Balanda as
soon as possible, and added to my promise of giving them a blanket and a
tomahawk, that of a pint pot, Gnarrangan and Cabaret again volunteered,
and pursuaded a third, of the name of Malarang, to join them. For some
miles, we followed a beaten foot-path, which skirted the large plain, and
then entered the forest, which was composed of rusty-gum, leguminous
Ironbark, Cochlospermum gossypium, and a small apocynaceous tree
(Balfouria, Br.); we crossed several salt-water creeks which went down to
Van Diemen's Gulf. The country near these creeks, was more undulating,
the soil sandy and mixed with small ironstone pebbles; fine tea-tree
flats with excellent grass, on which the buffaloes fed, were frequent.
Along the plain, small clusters of brush protruded into it from the
forest, or covered low mounts of sea shells, mixed with a black soil.
Amongst these copses, the tracks of buffaloes were very numerous.
We travelled about ten miles north-west by north, and encamped at a small
pool of water in a creek, in which the clayey ironstone cropped out. Its
water was so impregnated with the astringent properties of the gum-trees,
that Mr. Phillips boiled and drank it like tea. Before arriving at this
creek, we had a thunder-storm, with heavy rain, from the northward. After
pitching our tents, our guides went out, and returned with a small Iguana
(Vergar), and with pods of the rose-coloured Sterculia, which they
roasted on the coals. I succeeded in saving a great part of our meat by
smoking it.
Our horses were greatly distressed by large horse-flies, and every now
and then the poor brutes would come and stand in the smoke of our fires
to rid themselves of their persevering tormentors. This want of rest
during the night contributed very much to their increasing weakness;
though most of them were severely galled besides, which was prevented
only in two by the most careful attention, and daily washing of their
backs. On this stage we again passed one of those oven-like huts of the
natives, thatched with grass, which I have mentioned several times, and
which Nyuall's tribe called "Corambal." At the place where we encamped,
the ruins of a very large hut were still visible, which indicated that
the natives had profited by their long intercourse with the Malays and
Europeans, in the construction of their habitations.
Dec. 14. - When we started, intending to follow the foot-path, our native
guides remained behind; and, when I had proceeded two or three miles, my
companions came up to me and stated, that the natives had left us, but
that they had given them to understand that the foot-path would conduct
us safely to Balanda.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 134 of 139
Words from 135641 to 136642
of 141354
