It Was Now 3 O'clock P.M., And My Blackfellows Had Left Me, As Usual; My
Horse Was Foot-Sore, And Neither The Poor Animal Nor Myself Had Tasted
Water For The Last Thirty-Six Hours.
Under these circumstances, though I
ardently desired to push on to the north-west ranges, I thought it
prudent to return; and after a short rest to my horse, during which I
chewed some dry pieces of beef, I rode on my way back until 9 o'clock,
and then encamped.
The coldness of the night reminded me too strongly of
the pleasures of the fire and the heavy dew which had fallen, though a
comfort to my horse, rendered it difficult to light one; by dint of
patience, however, I succeeded, and then stretched myself, hungry and
thirsty as I was, by the side of a large Ironbark log; whilst my horse,
which I had hobbled and tethered, drooped his head over me, little
inclined either to feed or move. I started early in the morning of the
14th, and passed between Mount Lang and Razorback Hill. At the foot of
the latter I met a small creek, which I followed through a long series of
plains until I came on my old track, not very far from Big Ant-hill
Creek. At the sight of water, which we had been without full fifty hours,
my horse and I rushed simultaneously into it, and we drank, and drank,
and drank again, before I could induce myself to light a fire and make
some tea, which was always found to be much more wholesome, and to allay
thirst sooner than the water alone.
Near the large water-hole at which I halted, was an old camping place of
the natives, and the remnants of many a hut lay scattered round two large
flooded gum trees. The smoke of the natives fires was seen in every
direction. This part of the country is doubtless well supplied with
water-holes: but as they are unconnected with a watercourse, the
traveller, unless by accident, has little chance of finding them.
In returning along Ant-hill Creek, I passed a few native men sitting
before their gunyas; they were not a hundred yards from me, yet they
remained silent and motionless, like the black stumps of the trees around
them, until the strange apparition passed by. At sunset, just as I was
taking the saddle from my horse, I heard a cooee, and not considering it
prudent to encamp in the vicinity of the natives, I began to tighten up
the girths again; but, at the same time, answered the cooee, and soon
after I saw Master Charley and his wearied horse descending from the
opposite range. He had not had anything to eat since the morning of the
preceding day, and was therefore exceedingly pleased to meet me. He had
not been able to follow me, in consequence of the foot-soreness of his
horse, but he had succeeded in finding a small spring at the foot of
Mount Lang, near which the natives had often and recently encamped.
May 15. - We returned to our camp. The natives [These natives are probably
the same as, or are connected with, the tribe that frequent Rockingham
Bay, who have always been noticed for their friendly bearing in
communications with ships visiting that place. Rockingham Bay is situated
due east from the position of Dr. Leichhardt's party. - Note by Capt.
King.] had visited my companions, and behaved very amicably towards them,
making them not only presents of spears and wommalas, but supplying them
with seed-vessels of Nymphaea, and its mealy roasted stems and tubers,
which they were in the habit of pounding into a substance much resembling
mashed potatoes. They took leave of my companions to go to the sea-coast,
pointing to the east and east by south, whither they were going to fetch
shells, particularly the nautilus, of which they make various ornaments.
May 16 and 17. - We moved our camp about twenty miles N.N.W. to latitude
18 degrees 16 minutes 37 seconds, to one of the head brooks of Big
Ant-hill Creek. We travelled the whole distance over the basaltic
table-laud without any impediment. The natives approached our camp, but
retired without any communication.
I had not found any westerly waters on my ride of the 13th, but had seen
a range to the north-west, and that was the goal of a new exploration. As
we had been fortunate enough to find water at the contact of the
primitive and basaltic formation, I wished to follow the same line of
contact as long as it would not carry us much out of our course. We
crossed, in a northerly direction, several granitic ranges which ran out
into the table land, and were separated from each other by very large
swamps, at the time mostly dry, and covered with a short withered swamp
grass, but bearing the marks of frequent inundations. The bed of these
swamps was perfectly level, and formed by an uninterrupted sheet of
basalt. Chains of water-holes between the ranges, which I hoped would
lead me to creeks, were lost in the level of these swamps; indeed, these
granitic ranges were remarkably destitute of watercourses. The coarse
elements of the decomposed rock, principally pegmatite, had formed
uniform slopes, in which even heavy showers of rain were readily
absorbed; but rounded blocks of rock, sometimes curiously piled,
protruded from the granitic sands. Pandanus spiralis fringed the
scattered water-holes; and Grevillea chrysodendron, (R. Br.) formed a
wreath, of pale silver-colour, round the swamps, but grew on sandy soil.
White cranes, the ibis, geese, native companions, and plovers, were very
numerous; and the large ant-hills scattered through the forest at the
foot of the hills, looked like so many wigwams.
From one of the ranges I had another view of the north-west range, and we
started for it, leaving the primitive country behind us.
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