- We left the Lynd, along which we had journeyed from lat.
17
degrees 58 minutes to lat. 16 degrees 30 minutes, and travelled about
twelve miles W.N.W., when we encamped at the west side of a very long
lagoon Though I did not see the junction of the two rivers myself, Mr.
Roper, Brown, and Charley, informed me, that the Lynd became very narrow,
and its banks well confined, before joining the new river; which I took
the liberty of naming after Sir Thomas Mitchell, the talented
Surveyor-General of New South Wales; they also stated that the Lynd was
well filled by a fine sheet of water. The bed of the Mitchell was very
broad, sandy, and quite bare of vegetation; showing the more frequent
recurrence of floods. A small stream meandered through the sheet of sand,
and from time to time expanded into large water-holes: the river was also
much more tortuous in its course than the Lynd, which for long distances
generally kept the same course. The Mitchell came from the eastward, and
took its course to the west-north-west. At the sudden bends of the river,
the bergue was interrupted by gullies, and occasionally by deep creeks,
which seemed, however, only to have a short course, and to be the outlets
of the waters collecting on the flats and stiff plains at some distance
from the river. The bergue was covered with fine bloodwood trees,
stringy-bark and box. At a greater distance from the river, the trees
became scanty and scattered, and, still farther, small plains extended,
clothed but sparingly with a wiry grass. These plains were bounded by an
open forest of the Acacia of Expedition Range. This little tree gave us a
good supply of a light amber-coloured wholesome gum, which we sometimes
ate in its natural state, or after it had been dissolved by boiling.
Towards the end of the day's stage, we came to several very fine lagoons;
one of which was several miles long, and apparently parallel to the
river: it was exceedingly deep, and covered with the broad leaves of
Villarsia and Nymphaea, and well stocked with numerous large fish, which
betrayed their presence by an incessant splashing during the early part
of the night. John Murphy caught the small striped perch of the Lynd; and
another small perch-like fish, with a broad anal fin, which had already
excited our admiration at the Lynd, by the beauty of its colours, and by
the singularity of its movements. Charley saw the Silurus and the
guardfish, and caught several of the broad-scaled fish of the Mackenzie;
one of which, a most beautiful specimen, has been preserved and sent to
Mr. Gould.
When we left our last camp at the Lynd, John Murphy's pony was missing.
Charley went to look for it, and did not join us before we had arrived at
our camp, after an unusually long and fatiguing stage. He brought us the
melancholy news that he had found the poor beast on the sands of the
Lynd, with its body blown up, and bleeding from the nostrils. It had
either been bitten by a snake; or had eaten some noxious herb, which had
fortunately been avoided by the other horses. Accidents of this kind were
well calculated to impress us with the conviction of our dependence on
Providence, which had hitherto been so kind and merciful.
As all our meat was consumed, I was compelled to stop, in order to kill
one of our little steers. It proved to be very fat, and allowed us once
more to indulge in our favourite dish of fried liver. Although we were
most willing to celebrate the anniversary of the battle of Waterloo, and
to revive our own ambitious feelings at the memory of the deeds of our
illustrious heroes, we had nothing left but the saturated rags of our
sugar bags; which, however, we had kept for the purpose, and which we now
boiled up with our tea: our last flour was consumed three weeks ago; and
the enjoyment of fat cake, therefore, was not to be thought of. Should
any of my readers think these ideas and likings ridiculous and foolish,
they may find plenty of analogous facts by entering the habitations of
the poor, where I have not only witnessed, but enjoyed, similar treats of
sugared tea and buttered bread.
In crossing one of the creeks we found a species of Acacia [Inga
moniliformis, D. C. Prod. Vol. II. p. 440, where it is described
as having been found at Timor.], with articulate pods and large brown
seeds; it was a small tree with spreading branches, and a dark green shady
foliage: it occurred afterwards on all the creeks and water-holes until we
reached our destination.
It was at the lower part of the Lynd that we first saw the green-tree
ant; which seemed to live in small societies in rude nests between the
green leaves of shady trees. The passer by, when touching one of these
nests, would be instantaneously covered with them, and would soon be
aware of their presence by the painful bites they are able, and
apparently most ready, to inflict.
June 19. - We travelled about eight miles N. 50 degrees W. lat. 16 degrees
22 minutes 16 seconds and again encamped at a very deep lagoon, covered
near its edges with Villarsias, but without Nymphaeas. The soil of the
flat round the lagoon, was very stiff and suitable for making bricks. The
country along the Mitchell was an immense uninterrupted flat with a very
clayey soil, on which the following plants were frequent: viz. Grevillea,
Cerotaphylla, and Mimosoides, a Melaleuca with broad lanceolate leaves,
Spathodea and a Balfouria, R. Br.
Whilst walking down by the lagoon, I found a great quantity of ripe
Grewia seeds, and, on eating many of them, it struck me, that their
slightly acidulous taste, if imparted to water, would make a very good
drink; I therefore gathered as many as I could, and boiled them for about
an hour; the beverage which they produced was at all events the best we
had tasted on our expedition:
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