We Found A Good Crossing Place At A Fishery Of The
Natives; Who - To Judge By The Number Of Their Tracks Through The Soft
Mud, And By The Two Large Camps On Both Sides Of The River, Which Were
Covered With Fish-Bones - Must Be Very Numerous.
We continued our journey
for about a mile and a half from the river, and came to some grassy
fresh-water lagoons, although the Salicornias at first made me think they
were brackish.
Shortly after starting this morning, we saw a brood of thirteen emus, on
the plain which we were about to cross. John, Charley, and the dog
pursued them, and killed the old one; which, however, severely wounded
poor Spring in the neck. When we came up to them with the train, the
twelve young ones had returned in search of their mother; upon which
Brown gave chase with Spring, and killed two. This was the greatest sport
we ever had had on our journey. Upon making our camp, we cut part of
their meat into slices, and dried it on green hide ropes; the bones,
heads, and necks were stewed: formerly, we threw the heads, gizzards, and
feet away, but necessity had taught us economy; and, upon trial, the feet
of young emus was found to be as good and tender as cow-heel. I collected
some salt on the dry salt ponds, and added it to our stew; but my
companions scarcely cared for it, and almost preferred the soup without
it. The addition, however, rendered the soup far more savoury, at least
to my palate.
July 25. - We travelled N. 60 degrees W. and, at two miles, reached a
salt-water creek, which we crossed at a fishing place of the natives.
Soon afterwards we came on other shallow half dry salt-water creeks, the
dry parts of which were covered with thick incrustations of salt, some of
which we collected. Our bullocks were very seriously bogged in crossing
one of them. After passing this intricate meshwork of boggy channels, we
entered upon an immense plain, with patches of forest appearing here and
there in the distance. It was well grassed, but its sandy patches were
covered with Salicornia. This plant abounded particularly where the plain
sloped into the system of salt-water creeks; the approaches of which were
scattered over with the raspberry-jam tree. A west-north-west and west
course led me constantly to salt water; and we saw a large expanse of it
in the distance, which Charley, to whose superior sight all deference was
paid, considered to be the sea. I passed some low stunted forest, in
which a small tree was observed, with stiff pinnate leaves and a round
fruit of the size of a small apple, with a rough stone, and a very
nauseous rind, at least in its unripe state. To the westward of this belt
of forest, we crossed extensive marshes covered with tender, though dry
grass, and surrounded by low Ironstone ridges, openly timbered with
stunted silver-leaved Ironbark, several white gums, and Hakea lorea, R.
Br.
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