The interruption was caused by
our bullocks having gone back several miles, probably in search of better
water, for we found them generally very nice in this particular.
The natives had, in my absence, visited my companions, and behaved very
quietly, making them presents of emu feathers, bommerangs, and waddies.
Mr. Phillips gave them a medal of the coronation of her Majesty Queen
Victoria, which they seemed to prize very highly. They were fine, stout,
well made people, and most of them young; but a few old women, with white
circles painted on their faces, kept in the back ground. They were much
struck with the white skins of my companions, and repeatedly patted them
in admiration. Their replies to inquiries respecting water were not
understood; but they seemed very anxious to induce us to go down the
river.
We started at noon to Skull Creek, which, in a straight line, was
fourteen miles distant, in a north by east direction. Loose cumuli
floated in the hazy atmosphere during the whole forenoon, but rose in the
afternoon, and occasionally sheltered us from the scorching sun. At four
o'clock two thunder-storms formed as usual in the east and west, and,
eventually rising above us, poured down a heavy shower of rain, which
drenched us to the skin, and refreshed us and our horses and bullocks,
which were panting with heat and thirst. Our stores were well covered
with greasy tarpaulings, and took no harm.
Feb. 28. - Successive thunder-storms, with which this spot seemed more
favoured than the country we had recently passed, had rendered the
vegetation very luxuriant. The rotten sandy ground absorbed the rain
rapidly, and the young grass looked very fresh. The scrub receded a
little more from the river, and an open country extended along its banks.
The scene was, therefore, most cheerful and welcome. Mr. Gilbert and
Charley, who had made an excursion up the river in search of water,
returned with the agreeable information that a beautiful country was
before us: they had also seen a camp of natives, but without having had
any intercourse with them.
Feb. 29. - It was cloudy in the morning, and became more so during the
day, with easterly and north-easterly winds. As soon as our capricious
horses were found, which had wandered more than eight miles through a
dense Bricklow scrub, in search of food and water, we started and
travelled about ten miles in a north-east direction, leaving the windings
of the river to the left. The character of the country continued the
same; the same Ironbark forest, with here and there some remarkably
pretty spots; and the same Bastard-box flats, with belts of scrub,
approaching the river. At about nine miles from Skull Creek, which I
supposed to be in latitude 21 degrees 42 minutes, the Isaacs breaks
through a long range of sandstone hills; beyond which the country opens
into plains with detached patches of scrub, and downs, with "devil-devil"
land and its peculiar vegetation, and into very open forest. The river
divides into two branches, one coming from the eastward, and the other
from the northward. It rained hard during our journey, and, by the time
we reached the water-hole which Mr. Gilbert had found, we were wet to the
skin.
In consequence of the additional fatigues of the day, I allowed some
pieces of fat to be fried with our meat. Scarcely a fortnight ago, some
of my companions had looked with disgust on the fat of our stews, and had
jerked it contemptuously out of their plates; now, however, every one of
us thought the addition of fat a peculiar favour, and no one hesitated to
drink the liquid fat, after having finished his meat. This relish
continued to increase as our bullocks became poorer; and we became as
eager to examine the condition of a slaughtered beast, as the natives,
whose practice in that respect we had formerly ridiculed.
As I had made a set of lunar observations at Skull camp, which I wished
to calculate, I sent Mr. Roper up the north branch of the Isaacs to look
for water; and, on his return, he imparted the agreeable intelligence,
that he had found fine holes of water at about nine or ten miles distant,
and that the country was still more open, and abounded with game,
particularly emus.
CHAPTER VI
HEADS OF THE ISAACS - THE SUTTOR - FLINT-ROCK - INDICATIONS OF WATER - DINNER
OF THE NATIVES APPROPRIATED BY US - EASTER SUNDAY - ALARM OF AN OLD
WOMAN - NATIVES SPEAKING A LANGUAGE ENTIRELY UNKNOWN TO CHARLEY AND
BROWN - A BARTER WITH THEM - MOUNT M'CONNEL.
I was detained at this place from the 1st to the 4th March, from a severe
attack of lumbago, which I had brought on by incautiously and, perhaps,
unnecessarily exposing myself to the weather, in my botanical and other
pursuits. On the 4th March. I had sufficiently recovered to mount my
horse and accompany my party to Roper's water-holes. Basalt cropped out
on the plains; the slight ridges of "devil-devil" land are covered with
quartz pebbles, and the hills and bed of the river, are of sandstone
formation.
A yellow, and a pink Hibiscus, were frequent along the river.
My calculations gave the longitude of 148 degrees 56 minutes for Skull
Creek; my bearings however make it more to the westward; its latitude was
supposed to be 21 degrees 42 minutes: the cloudy nights prevented my
taking any observation.
March 5. - I sent Mr. Gilbert and Charley up the river, which, according
to Mr. Roper's account, came through a narrow mountain gully, the passage
of which was very much obstructed by tea-trees. They passed the mountain
gorge, and, in about eight miles north, came to the heads of the Isaacs,
and to those of another system of waters, which collected in a creek that
flowed considerably to the westward.
