- The natives returned very early to our camp, and took the
greatest notice of what we were eating, but would not taste anything we
offered them.
When Brown returned with our bullock, the beast rushed at
them, and pursued them for a great distance, almost goring one of their
number.
We travelled about three miles and a half north-east, but had to go
fairly over ten miles of ground. We followed the foot-path of the natives
for about two miles, passing over some scrubby ridges into a series of
plains, which seemed to be boundless to the N.W. and N.N.W. A broad deep
channel of fresh water covered with Nymphaeas and fringed with Pandanus,
intercepted our course; and I soon found that it formed the outlet of one
of those remarkable swamps which I have described on the preceding
stages. We turned to the E. and E.S.E. following its outline, in order
either to find a crossing place, or to head it. The natives were very
numerous, and employing themselves either in fishing or burning the grass
on the plains, or digging for roots. I saw here a noble fig-tree, under
the shade of which seemed to have been the camping place of the natives
for the last century. It was growing at the place where we first came to
the broad outlet of the swamp. About two miles to the eastward, this
swamp extended beyond the reach of sight, and seemed to form the whole
country, of the remarkable and picturesque character of which it will be
difficult to convey a correct idea to the reader.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 474 of 524
Words from 127554 to 127830
of 141354
