The Waters Of The
Dawson, The Burdekin, And The Lynd, Were Very Clear, And Received Their
Constant Supply From Springs.
We passed a camp of natives, who vere very much alarmed at the report of
a gun, which Mr. Gilbert happened to fire when very near them; this he
did in his anxiety to procure a pair of Geophaps plumifera, for his
collection.
These pretty little pigeons had been first observed by Brown
in the course of our yesterday's stage, who shot two of them, but they
were too much mutilated to make good specimens. We frequently saw them
afterwards, but never more than two, four, or six together, running with
great rapidity and with elevated crest over the ground, and preferring
the shady rocks along the sandy bed of the river. I tried several methods
to render the potatoes, which we had found in the camps of the natives,
eatable; but neither roasting nor boiling destroyed their sickening
bitterness. At last, I pounded and washed them, and procured their
starch, which was entirely tasteless, but thickened rapidly in hot water,
like arrow-root; and was very agreeable to eat, wanting only the addition
of sugar to make it delicious; at least so we fancied.
June 8. - We travelled about nine miles west-north-west. The country was
in general open, with soft ground on the more extensive flats; although
sandstone ranges approached the river in many places. Four good-sized
creeks entered the river from the southward. The sandstone, or psammite,
was composed of large grains of quartz mixed with clay of a whitish red
or yellow colour; it frequently formed steep cliffs and craggy rugged
little peaks.
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