- We travelled eight miles W.S.W. over a succession of plains
separated by belts of forest, consisting of bloodwood, box, apple-gum,
and rusty-gum.
Some plains were scattered over with Bauhinias. The holes
along the plains are probably filled with water during the rainy season;
dead shells of Paludina were extremely numerous, and we found even the
shield of a turtle in one of them. At the end of the stage, we skirted
some dense scrub, and encamped at one of the lagoons parallel to a dry
creek, which must belong to the Nassau, as its latitude was 15 degrees 55
minutes 8 seconds. The lagoon was covered with small white Nymphaeas,
Damasoniums, and yellow Utricularias; and on its banks were heaps of
mussel-shells. The smoke of natives' fires were seen on the plains, in
every direction; but we saw no natives. Brown approached very near to a
flock of Harlequin pigeons, and shot twenty-two of them. A young grey
kangaroo was also taken.
The kites were so bold that one of them snatched the skinned specimen of
a new species of honey-sucker out of Mr. Gilbert's tin case; and, when we
were eating our meals, they perched around us on the branches of
overhanging trees, and pounced down even upon our plates, although held
in our hands, to rob us of our dinners; - not quite so bad, perhaps, as
the Harpies in the Aeneid, but sufficiently so to be a very great nuisance
to us.
Yesterday and to-day we experienced a cold dry southerly wind, which
lasted till about 11 o'clock A. M., when it veered to the south-west, but
at night returned again, and rendered the air very cold, and dry, which
was very evident from the total absence of dew. The forenoon was very
clear; cumuli and cirrho-cumuli gathered during the afternoon. The sky of
the sunset was beautifully coloured. After sunset, the clouds cleared
off, but, as the night advanced, gradually collected again.
A circumstance occurred to-day which gave me much concern, as it showed
that the natives of this part were not so amicably disposed towards us as
those we had hitherto met: - whilst Charley and Brown were in search of
game in the vicinity of our camp, they observed a native sneaking up to
our bullocks, evidently with the intention of driving them towards a
party of his black companions, who with poised spears were waiting to
receive them. Upon detecting this manoeuvre, Charley and his companion
hurried forward to prevent their being driven away, when the native gave
the alarm, and all took to their heels, with the exception of a lame
fellow, who endeavoured to persuade his friends to stand fight. Charley,
however, fired his gun, which had the intended effect of frightening
them; for they deserted their camp, which was three hundred yards from
ours, in a great hurry, leaving, among other articles, a small net full
of potatoes, which Charley afterwards picked up.
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