When Brown, Who Had Stopped Behind, Came Up To
Me, I Took The Calabash And Put It To My Mouth, And Asked For "Yarrai,
Yarrai." They Answered, But Their Intended Information Was Lost To Me;
And They Were Unwilling To Approach Us.
Their camp was in the bed of the
river amongst some small Casuarinas.
Their numerous tracks, however, soon
led me to two wells, surrounded by high reeds, where we quenched our
thirst. My horse was very much frightened by the great number of hornets
buzzing about the water. After filling our calabash, we returned to the
camp of the natives, and examined the things which they had left behind;
we found a shield, four calabashes, of which I took two, leaving in their
place a bright penny, for payment; there were also, a small water-tight
basket containing acacia-gum; some unravelled fibrous bark, used for
straining honey; a fire-stick, neatly tied up in tea-tree bark; a
kangaroo net; and two tomahawks, one of stone, and a smaller one of iron,
made apparently of the head of a hammer: a proof that they had had some
communication with the sea-coast. The natives had disappeared. The
thunder was pealing above us, and a rush of wind surprised us before we
were half-a-mile from the camp, and we had barely time to throw our
blanket over some sticks and creep under it, when the rain came down in
torrents. The storm came from the west; another was visible in the east;
and lightning seemed to be everywhere. When the rain ceased, we contrived
to make a fire and boil a pot of tea, and warmed up a mess of
gelatine-soup. At eight o'clock the moon rose, and, as the weather had
cleared, I decided upon returning to the camp, in order to hasten over
this dreary country while the rain-water lasted. The frogs were most
lustily croaking in the water-holes which I had passed, a few hours
before, perfectly dry and never were their hoarse voices more pleasing to
me. But the thunder-storm had been so very partial, that scarcely a drop
had fallen at a distance of three miles. This is another instance of the
singularly partial distribution of water, which I had before noticed at
Comet Creek. We arrived at the camp about one o'clock a.m.; and, in the
morning of the 25th February, I led my party to the water-holes, which a
kind Providence seemed to have filled for the purpose of helping us over
that thirsty and dreary land. Our bullocks suffered severely from the
heat; our fat-meat melted; our fat-bags poured out their contents; and
every thing seemed to dissolve under the influence of a powerful sun.
The weather in this region may be thus described: at sunrise some clouds
collect in the east, but clear off during the first hours of the morning,
with northerly, north-easterly, and easterly breezes; between ten and
three o'clock the most scorching heat prevails, interrupted only by
occasional puffs of cool air; about two o'clock P.M. heavy clouds form in
all directions, increase in volume, unite in dark masses in the east and
west, and, about five o'clock in the afternoon, the thunder-storm bursts;
the gust of wind is very violent, and the rain sometimes slight, and at
other times tremendous, but of short duration; and at nine o'clock the
whole sky is clear again.
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