To-Day We Travelled Over Porphyries Like Those Of
The Last Stage:
But, about four miles from the last camp, steep sandstone
rocks with excavations appeared on our left, at some
Distance from the
river, from which they were separated by porphyry; but, farther on, they
approached the river on both sides, and formed steep slopes, which
compelled us to travel along the bed of the river itself. Two large
creeks joined the river from the southward, one of which was running, and
also made the river run until the stream lost itself in the sandy bed. At
the end of the stage, however, the stream re-appeared, and we were fairly
on the fourth flowing river of the expedition: for the Condamine,
although not constantly, was raised by rains, and showed the origin of
its supply, by the muddy nature of its waters; the Dawson commenced
running where we left it; and the Burdekin, with several of its
tributaries, was running as far as we followed it. 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.
The stringy-bark grew to a fine size on the hills, and would yield,
together with Ironbark and the drooping tea-tree, the necessary timber
for building. A new species of Melaleuca and also of Boronia were found,
when entering upon the sandstone formation.
The wind for the last few days has been westerly; cumuli forming during
the day, dissolved towards sunset; the days were very hot, the nights
mild and dry. It was evident that we had descended considerably into the
basin of the gulf.
June 9. - We travelled about ten miles north-west. Box-tree flats, of more
or less extent, were intercepted by abrupt barren craggy hills composed
of sandstone, which seemed to rest on layers of argillaceous rock. The
latter was generally observed at the foot of the hills and in the bed of
the river; it had in most places been worn by the action of water. The
stringy-bark became even numerous on the flats, in consequence of the
more sandy nature of the soil: but the hills were scrubby, and Mr.
Gilbert reported that he had even seen the Bricklow. The grass of the
Isaacs grew from twelve to fifteen feet high, in the hollows near the
river, which was, as usual, fringed with Sarcocephalus; a species of
Terminalia; the drooping tea-tree; and with an Acacia which perfumed the
air with the fragrant odours of its flowers. We gathered some blossoms of
the drooping tea-tree, which were full of honey, and, when soaked,
imparted a very agreeable sweetness to the water. We frequently observed
great quantities of washed blossoms of this tree in the deserted camps of
the natives; showing that they were as fond of the honey in the blossoms
of the tea-tree, as the natives of the east coast are of that of the
several species of Banksia.
June 10. - We travelled about five miles north-north-west to latitude 17
degrees 9 minutes 17 seconds. The flats, the rugged hills, and the river,
maintained the same character. Creeks, probably of no great extent,
joined the Lynd from the south side of all the hills we passed both
yesterday and to-day.
The weather was very fine, although exceedingly hot during the day; but
the nights were mild, and without dew. An easterly and south-easterly
wind blew during the whole day, moderated a little at sunset, and again
freshened up after it; but the latter part of the night, and for an hour
and a half after sunrise, was calm. I was induced to think that this wind
originated from the current of cold air flowing from the table-land of
the Burdekin down to the gulf, as the easterly winds west of New England
do, and as the westerly winds of Sydney during July and August, which are
supposed to be equally connected with the table-land of New England and
of Bathurst. The westerly winds occurring at the upper Lynd, do not
militate against such a supposition, as they might well belong to an
upper current coming from the sea.
Two new fishes were caught; both were very small; the one
malacopterygious, and resembling the pike, would remain at times
motionless at the bottom, or dart at its prey; the other belonged to the
perches, and had an oblong compressed body, and three dark stripes
perpendicular to its length; this would hover through the water, and
nibble at the bait.
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