Not Knowing Their Intentions, I Sent Brown
After The Cattle, And Charley To Find A Crossing Place.
They met,
however, at those supposed lagoons, and amused themselves in shooting
geese, and (after having probably enjoyed an off-hand dinner of roasted
goose) they returned at 2 o'clock, complaining of course, that the cattle
had strayed very far.
Though I had been very much annoyed by waiting so
long, I was pleased in finding that they had shot four geese. In order,
however, to show my sable companions that their secret manoeuvres only
tended to increase their own labour, I ordered the bullocks to be loaded
immediately they arrived, and proceeded to get out of this intricate
country as soon as possible. We travelled west by north, over a tolerable
open country, leaving the salt-water plains to the right, and crossed
several well beaten foot-paths, and a sort of play ground on which the
natives seem to have danced and crawled about, as it bore the impressions
of both hands and feet. After four miles, we came to a broad salt-water
creek, the high banks of which were covered with numerous heaps of
Cytherea shells, which had lived in the mud of the creek. We followed it
up about a mile, when it ended in a hollow coming from the range. After
passing this, our course was intercepted by another large creek, which
compelled us to go to the south and even to south-east along the western
side of the range which we had seen from Typha brook. We followed it up
about two miles, and found some ponds of slightly brackish water, in
which, however, Nymphaea grew, and several small freshwater fish lived;
and near them the track of a crocodile was observed by Charley. Open
country alternated with thick Acacia underwood along this creek, and its
grass was still coarse and blady. Many gullies came down from the range;
which was composed of baked sandstone, with not very distinct
stratification, and irregularly broken blocks. At a lagoon which we
passed in the commencement of the stage, Brown shot three more geese;
thus disclosing to us the haunts of those numerous flights we had seen.
We roasted four of our geese for dinner, and they formed by far the most
delicious dish our expedition had offered: the others were stewed for the
next breakfast; and they were equally good: though a whole night's
stewing might have robbed them of a little of their rich flavour.
We had frequently observed the flight of waterfowl, at the commencement
of night, and a little before dawn. At Cycas Creek, Spoonbills, Ibises,
and Whistling ducks came at night fall to the fresh water, and left it in
the morning. The geese flew past at night from an open lagoon to the
westward, to more confined ponds at the head of the fern swamp to the
eastward. It would appear that they prefer a sheltered situation for the
night, and large open sheets of water by day.
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