An Inmate Of An Alarming Description Took Up Its
Lodging In Our Tent During The Last Night, Probably Washed Out Of Its
Hole
By The Rain:
A large diamond snake was discovered coiled up among the
flour bags, four or five feet from the doctor's bed.
July 27. - This morning the weather cleared up just in time to enable us
to retreat to the river banks in safety, for we were washed out of the
tent. The provisions and heavy baggage were carried by the people to a
firmer spot of ground, at which place the horses being lightly laden, we
got every thing transported to the river by one o'clock. Castlereagh
River is certainly a stream of great magnitude; its channel is divided
by numerous islands covered with trees: it measured in its narrowest
part one hundred and eighty yards, and the flood that had now risen in
it was such as to preclude any attempt to cross it. The outer banks were
good firm land, apparently free from floods, and extending not more on
this side than a quarter of a mile, when it became wet and marshy: the
banks were from twelve to seventeen feet high, and gradually sloped to
the water. The trees on this firm margin of land were a species of
eucalyptus, cypresses, and the sterculia heterophylla, with a few
casuarinae. This river doubtless discharges itself into that interior
gulf, in which the waters of the Macquarie are merged: to that river it
is in no respect inferior, and when the banks are full, the body of
water in it must be even still more considerable. Towards evening I
thought the waters were falling, which was an event we anxiously looked
for, to enable us to proceed to Arbuthnot's Range, from the heights of
which we hoped for an interesting view. Natives appear to be numerous;
their guniahs (or bark-huts) are in every direction, and by their
fire-places several muscle-shells of the same kind as those found on the
Lachlan and Macquarie Rivers were seen. Game (kangaroos and emus),
frequenting the dry banks of the river, were procured in abundance.
July 28. - The river during the night had risen upwards of eight feet;
and still continued rising with surprising rapidity, running at the rate
of from five to six miles per hour, bringing down with it great
quantities of driftwood and other wreck. The islands were all deeply
covered, and the whole scene was peculiarly grand and interesting. The
sudden rise probably was caused by the heavy rains of the preceding
days; but great must be the sources from whence so stupendous a body of
water is supplied, and equally grand must be that reservoir, which is
capable of containing such an accumulation of water as is derived from
this and the Macquarie Rivers; not to mention the supplies from the
occasional streams which had their sources in the marshes which we have
crossed. The water was so extremely thick and turbid, that we could not
use it; but were forced to send back to the marshes for what we wanted.
At night, the river seemed at its greatest height.
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