The Days, From The
Stillness Of The Air, Were Very Hot; But At Night The Dews Were Heavy,
And It Was Very Cold.
Charley asserted that he had seen ice at our last
camp.
The black cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus Banksii) has been much more
frequently observed of late.
We used the last of our salt at the last camp; and what we should do
without it, was a question of considerable interest. As I had never taken
salt with me in my reconnoitring expeditions, and had never felt the want
of it with dried beef, either grilled or raw, I recommended my companions
to eat their meat in the same state; and, in fact, good dry beef, without
any farther preparation, was much relished by all of us: for, when
grilled, it became ashy and burnt, particularly when without fat; and, if
stewed, although it yielded a good broth, it became tough and tasteless.
The meat of the last bullock was very hard and juiceless, and something
was to be done to soften it, and make it palatable: as we had no fat, we
frequently steamed it with water, but this rendered it tough, without
facilitating in the least the mastication; and its fibres, entering
between our teeth, rendered them exceedingly tender, and caused us much
pain. After a week's trial, and several experiments, we returned to our
former practice of stewing it, and in a very short time relished it as
much without salt, as we had formerly done with it.
CHAPTER IX
THE STARRY HEAVENS - SUBSTITUTE FOR COFFEE - SAWFISH - TWO-STORIED GUNYAS
OF THE NATIVES - THE MITCHELL - MURPHY'S PONY POISONED - GREEN
TREE-ANT - NEW BEVERAGE - CROCODILE - AUDACITY OF KITES - NATIVES NOT
FRIENDLY - THE CAMP ATTACKED AT NIGHT BY THEM - MESSRS. ROPER AND CALVERT
WOUNDED, AND MR. GILBERT KILLED.
June 1. - Mr. Gilbert and Charley made an excursion down the river last
night, to look for water, but, as they did not return in the morning, and
as water had been found, after they left, about four miles lower down, we
started to meet them. Observing a swarm of white cranes circling in the
air, and taking their flight down the river, I concluded that we should
meet with a good supply of water lower down, and, therefore, passed the
nearest water-hole; but, the country and the bed of the river being
exceedingly rocky, our progress was very slow. After proceeding about
eight miles, we came to the junction of a river from the south-west with
the Lynd; and encamped at some small pools of water in latitude 17
degrees 45 minutes 40 seconds: having travelled, during the last two
stages, in a west-north-west direction.
June 2. - When we left our camp this morning, Mr. Gilbert and Charley
returned from their ride; they had come on our tracks last night, but,
surrounded as they were by rocky hills and gullies, had been compelled to
encamp. We travelled about seven miles and a half, and crossed three good
sized creeks, joining the Lynd from the north east.
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