As Soon As The Camp Is Pitched,
And The Horses And Bullocks Unloaded, We Have All Our Alloted Duties; To
Make the fire falls to my share; Brown's duty is to fetch water for tea;
and Mr. Calvert weighs out
A pound and a-half of flour for a fat cake,
which is enjoyed more than any other meal; the large teapot being empty,
Mr. Calvert weighs out two and a-half pounds of dry meat to be stewed for
our late dinner; and, during the afternoon, every one follows his own
pursuits, such as washing and mending clothes, repairing saddles,
pack-saddles, and packs; my occupation is to write my log, and lay down
my route, or make an excursion in the vicinity of the camp to botanize,
etc. or ride out reconnoitring. My companions also write down their
remarks, and wander about gathering seeds, or looking for curious
pebbles. Mr. Gilbert takes his gun to shoot birds. A loud cooee again
unites us towards sunset round our table cloth; and, whilst enjoying our
meals, the subject of the day's journey, the past, the present, and the
future, by turns engage our attention, or furnish matter for conversation
and remark, according to the respective humour of the parties. Many
circumstances have conspired to make me strangely taciturn, and I am now
scarcely pleased even with the chatting humour of my youngest companion,
whose spirits, instead of flagging, have become more buoyant and lively
than ever. I consider it, however, my invariable duty to give every
information I can, whenever my companions inquire or show a desire to
learn, and I am happy to find that they are desirous of making themselves
familiar with the objects of nature by which they are surrounded, and of
understanding their mutual relations. Mr. Roper is of a more silent
disposition; Mr. Calvert likes to speak, and has a good stock of "small
talk," with which he often enlivens our dinners; he is in that respect an
excellent companion, being full of jokes and stories, which, though old
and sometimes quaint, are always pure, and serve the more to exhilarate
the party. Mr. Gilbert has travelled much, and consequently has a rich
store of impressions de voyage: his conversation is generally very
pleasing and instructive, in describing the character of countries he has
seen, and the manners and customs of the people he has known. He is well
informed in Australian Ornithology. As night approaches, we retire to our
beds. The two Blackfellows and myself spread out each our own under the
canopy of heaven, whilst Messrs. Roper, Calvert, Gilbert, Murphy, and
Phillips, have their tents. Mr. Calvert entertains Roper with his
conversation; John amuses Gilbert; Brown tunes up his corroborri songs,
in which Charley, until their late quarrel, generally joined. Brown sings
well, and his melodious plaintive voice lulls me to sleep, when otherwise
I am not disposed. Mr. Phillips is rather singular in his habits; he
erects his tent generally at a distance from the rest, under a shady
tree, or in a green bower of shrubs, where he makes himself as
comfortable as the place will allow, by spreading branches and grass
under his couch, and covering his tent with them, to keep it shady and
cool, and even planting lilies in blossom (Crinum) before his tent, to
enjoy their sight during the short time of our stay. As the night
advances, the Blackfellows' songs die away; the chatting tongue of Murphy
ceases, after having lulled Mr. Gilbert to sleep; and at last even Mr.
Calvert is silent, as Roper's short answers became few and far between.
The neighing of the tethered horse, the distant tinkling of the bell, or
the occasional cry of night birds, alone interrupt the silence of our
camp. The fire, which was bright as long as the corroborri songster kept
it stirred, gradually gets dull, and smoulders slowly under the large pot
in which our meat is simmering; and the bright constellations of heaven
pass unheeded over the heads of the dreaming wanderers of the wilderness,
until the summons of the laughing jackass recalls them to the business of
the coming day.
May 2. - We travelled in a N.W. direction to lat. 18 degrees 50 minutes 11
seconds; at first over the box flats, alternating with an undulating open
country. About three miles before making our camp, we passed several
small plains at the foot of what appeared to be basaltic ridges, and came
to the dry channel of a river, with reeds and occasional water-holes, and
lined with fine flooded-gum trees and Casuarinas, but without the
dropping tea trees and the Moreton Bay ash, the latter of which seemed to
be the prerogative of the Burdekin. At its left side a basaltic ridge
rose, covered with thick scrub, and at its base extended a small plain,
with black soil strewed with quartz pebbles. The river came, as well as I
could judge, from the W.N.W. Mr. Roper and Brown caught a kangaroo, but
they had a dangerous ride after it, and the poor brute, when hard
pressed, showed fight, and endeavoured to lay hold of Mr. Roper.
In one of the creeks I observed pegmatite; pebbles of talc-schiste and of
white quartz covered the bed of the river.
May 3. - We had to travel for a considerable distance in the bed of the
river, for the hills approached close to its banks, and numerous deep
gullies intercepted their slopes. When, however, the ridges receded, we
passed several fine sound flats. The forest was open everywhere, and the
grass was good, though old. After travelling about five miles, we saw a
hill to the north-east, and, when we came almost abreast of it, the river
turned to the eastward, and a wild field of broken basaltic lava rendered
it impossible for us to follow its banks. The black rough masses of rock
were covered with thick scrub, in which I observed numerous bottle trees
with the platanus leaf.
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