The Creek Which We Had Met At
The East Side Of The Forest, Had Swept Round The Ridges, And Was Now
Again Before Us, Pursuing A North-West Course.
A fine plain extended
along it, on which I observed Acacia Farnesiana of Darling Downs, the
grass of the Isaacs, and several grasses of the Suttor.
The holes of the
creek were shaded by large Terminalias, and by a white gum, with slightly
drooping foliage of a pleasing green colour. We followed the creek down,
and soon came again to Ironstone ridges.
I had sent Charley forward to look for water, and, when he joined us
again, he told me that there was a water-hole, but that natives, for the
greater part gins, were encamped on it. I could not help taking
possession of it, as there were none besides, to our knowledge; and our
bullocks and horses were fatigued by a long stage. I, therefore, rode up
to it alone; the gins had decamped, but a little urchin remained, who was
probably asleep when his mother went. He cried bitterly, as he made his
way through the high grass, probably in search for his mother. Thinking
it prudent to tie an iron ring to his neck, that his parents might see we
were peaceably inclined, I caught the little fellow, who threw his stick
at me, and defended himself most manfully when I laid hold of him. Having
dismissed him with an angry slap on his fat little posteriors, he walked
away crying, but keeping hold of the iron ring: his mother came down from
the ridge to meet him, laughing loud, and cheering with jokes.
I observed ironstone pebbles, and large pieces of a fine grained flaggy
sandstone on the first plains we crossed; the sandstone was excellent to
sharpen our knives.
CHAPTER XI
SYSTEMATIC GRASS BURNINGS OF THE NATIVES - NATIVE CARVING - AUDACITY OF THE
NATIVES OVERAWED - THE ALBERT, OR MAET SUYKER - NATIVE MODE OF MAKING SURE
OF A DEAD EMU - BULLOCK BOGGED; OBLIGED TO KILL IT - NATIVE DEVICE FOR
TAKING EMUS - BEAMES'S BROOK - THE NICHOLSON - RECONNOITRE BY NIGHT - SMITH'S
CREEK - THE MARLOW.
August 1. - We travelled about seven miles west by north. Silver-leaved
Ironbark ridges, of a dreary aspect, and covered with small shining brown
iron pebbles, alternating with small plains and box-flats, extended
generally to the northward. Some of the hills were open at their summits,
timbered with apple-gum, and covered with white ant-hills; their bases
were surrounded with thickets of the Severn tree. We encamped at a fine
Nymphaea lagoon, in the rich shade of a white drooping gum tree. A large
but dry creek was near us to the westward. The grass was excellent.
August 2. - We travelled twelve miles west-north-west, over a fine
box-flat, crossed a good sized creek, about five miles from the camp,
and, to the westward of it, passed over seven miles of Ironbark ridges.
We descended from them into the valley of a creek fringed with the
white-gum tree, and followed it down for about three miles before we
found water. We encamped at a good water-hole, at the foot of the ridges,
in latitude 18 degrees 0 minutes 42 seconds. Brown and Charley, who had
gone two miles lower down, told me that they had found salt-water, and
deposits of very fine salt. Many lagoons were on the flats, surrounded by
Polygonums, and frequented by ducks, spoonbills, and various aquatic
birds. They had shot, however, only one teal and a spoonbill. In
travelling down the creek, we frequently started wallabies. Geophaps
plumifera was very frequent on the Ironbark ridges. A cormorant with
white breast and belly, and the rose cockatoo were shot; the former
tasted as well as a duck. Brown collected a good quantity of the gum of
Terminalia, and the seeds of the river bean, which made an excellent
coffee. The native bee was very abundant.
The natives seemed to have burned the grass systematically along every
watercourse, and round every water-hole, in order to have them surrounded
with young grass as soon as the rain sets in. These burnings were not
connected with camping places, where the fire is liable to spread from
the fire-places, and would clear the neighbouring ground. Long strips of
lately burnt grass were frequently observed extending for many miles
along the creeks. The banks of small isolated water-holes in the forest,
were equally attended to, although water had not been in either for a
considerable time. It is no doubt connected with a systematic management
of their runs, to attract game to particular spots, in the same way that
stockholders burn parts of theirs in proper seasons; at least those who
are not influenced by the erroneous notion, that burning the grass
injures the richness and density of the natural turf. The natives,
however, frequently burn the high and stiff grass, particularly along
shady creeks, with the intention of driving the concealed game out of it;
and we have frequently seen them watching anxiously, even for lizards,
when other game was wanting.
August 3. - We travelled, for the first two miles, N. 60 degrees W. over
scrubby ironstone ridges, and then entered upon a fine plain, from which
smoke was seen to the west and north-west. I chose the latter direction,
and passed over ironstone ridges covered with stunted silver-leaved
Ironbark; and a species of Terminalia, a small tree, with long spathulate
glaucous leaves, slightly winged seed-vessels, and with an abundance of
fine transparent eatable gum; of which John and Brown gathered a great
quantity. Some of the ridges were openly timbered with a rather stunted
white-gum tree, and were well grassed; but the grass was wiry and stiff.
At the end of our stage, about sixteen miles distant from our last camp,
we crossed some rusty-gum forest; and encamped at a fine water-hole in
the bed of a rocky creek, shaded by the white drooping gum, which seemed
to have taken the place of the flooded gum.
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