As We
Approached The River, We Entered Into A Flat Covered With Stunted Box,
And Intersected By Numerous Irregular Water-Courses.
The box was
succeeded by a Phyllanthus scrub, through which we pushed, and then came
to a broad creek, filled with fine water, but not running, although high
water-marks on the drooping tea-trees proved that it was occasionally
flooded.
We did not understand, nor could we ascertain, in what relation
this singular country and the creek stood to the river, of which nothing
was to be seen from the right bank of the creek.
The scrub, and the high grass along the creek, were swarming with white
flanked wallabies, three of which Brown and Charley succeeded in
shooting; and these, with a common grey kangaroo caught by Spring, and
five ducks shot by Brown, provided our larder with a fine supply of game.
When I first came on the Lynd, I supposed that it flowed either
independently to the head of the gulf, or that it was the tributary of a
river which collected the waters of the York Peninsula, and carried them
in a south-west or south-south-west course to the head of the gulf of
Carpentaria. Such a course would have corresponded to that of the
Burdekin at the eastern side, and the supposition was tolerably warranted
by the peculiar conformation of the gulf. I expected, therefore, at every
stage down the Lynd, at every bend to the westward, that it would keep
that course. But, having passed the latitude of the head of the gulf, as
well as those of the Van Diemen and the Staaten rivers, the Lynd still
flowed to the north-west; and then, when it joined the Mitchell, I
imagined that the new river would prove to be the Nassau; but, when it
passed the latitude of that river, I conjectured that it would join the
sea at the large embouchure in the old charts, in latitude 15 degrees 5
minutes - the "Water Plaets" of the Dutch navigators. To follow it
farther, therefore, would have been merely to satisfy my curiosity, and
an unpardonable waste of time. Besides, the number of my bullocks was
decreasing, and prudence urged the necessity of proceeding, without any
farther delay, towards the goal of my journey. I determined therefore to
leave the Mitchell at this place, and to approach the sea-coast - so near
at least, as not to risk an easy progress - and to pass round the bottom
of the gulf.
June 26. - We travelled, accordingly, about seven miles almost due west,
the latitude of our new camp being 15 degrees 52 minutes 38 seconds. On
our way we passed some very fine long water-holes; some of which were
surrounded with reeds, and others covered with the white species of
Nymphaea; groves of Pandanus spiralis occupied their banks. Some fine
plains, full of melon-holes, but well grassed, separated from each other
by belts of forest-land, in which the Pandanus was also very frequent,
were crossed during the day.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 153 of 272
Words from 79242 to 79751
of 141354
