Narrative Of The Overland Expedition Of The Messrs. Jardine, From Rockhampton To Cape York, Northern Queensland By Frank Jardine And Alexander Jardine
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The Bagging Of
A Bustard, Or Plain Turkey As It Is More Commonly Called, Always
Makes A Red Day For The Kitchen.
Its meat is tender and juicy, and
either roasted whole, dressed into steaks, or stewed into soup, makes
a grateful meal for a hungry traveller.
'September' 18. - Keeping out some distance from its banks to avoid
the stones and deep gullies, the party followed up the river to the
junction of Parallel Creek: this was traced, keeping along its bed
for the same reason, by which course only they were enabled to avoid
them. These, as before described, were very thickly strewn making
the journey tedious and severe on the horses, so that only 14 miles
were accomplished, when they camped on a large waterhole five miles
above the junction. The beautiful Burdekin duck ('Tadorna Radjah')
was met with, of which Mr. Jardine shot a couple.
'September' 19. - Still keeping along the bed of Parallel Creek, the
party travelled up its course. This they were constrained to do, in
consequence of the broken and stony banks and country on the east
side, whilst an abrupt wall of basalt prevented them leaving the bed
on the west. At 13 miles they camped for a couple of hours in the
middle of the day, on a large creek which received the name of
Warroul Creek, suggested by their finding two large "sugar bags" or
bees' nests on it, "Warroul" being the name for bee in the Wirotheree
or Wellington dialect. Warroul Creek runs into Parallel Creek from
the south-east, joining it about half-a-mile below where it leaves
the river, it being as before mentioned an ana-branch of the
Einasleih. Leaving Parallel and travelling up Warroul Creek, in 8
miles they reached the gap in the range 12 miles below camp No. 2.
This afterwards received the name of Simon's Gap, and the range it
occurs in, Jorgensen's Range, after Simon Jorgensen, Esq., of
Gracemere. Two miles, from the gap they struck a large round swamp
which had not been observed on the down journey, the party having
kept close to the river, from which it is distant two miles. This
was named "Cawana Swamp" There being good grass there, they camped.
Native companions ('Crus Australalasinus') and the more rare jabiru
('Myeteria Australis') were very numerous on it. Total distance 23
miles.
'September' 20. - To-day the party made the lagoon mentioned on the
4th inst., a distance of 27 miles, traversing nearly the same ground
already described and camped. They again saw a mob of blacks fishing
in the river, who, on seeing them, immediately decamped into the
ranges on the opposite side and disappeared. The next day, Mr.
Macdonald's station, Carpentaria Downs was reached in 17 miles, the
little party having travelled over nearly 360 miles of ground in 18
days. Mr. Jardine found all well at the main camp, but no sign of
his brother with the cattle; fifteen days passed before his arrival,
during which time Alexander Jardine plotted up the courses of his
journey down the Einasleih, and submitted the plan to Mr. Richardson,
without, however, shaking the gentleman's faith as to his position,
or that they were on Leichhardt's Lynd, preferring to dispute the
accuracy of the reckoning.
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