Another Large Lake Was Also Seen To The
South-East, Under The Three Brothers.
Several other small patches I
thought might possibly prove to be marshes between my station and the
coast; the country in its immediate vicinity appearing too low to afford
drainage.
Descending the hill, I proceeded after the horses, passing for
nearly three miles through a good open forest country; the timber large,
with numerous casuarinae. At the entrance of a brush I met the horses
returning, having been prevented from continuing their easterly course by
a large tea-tree swamp, full of water. We therefore pursued a more
northerly course, with the hope and intention of making the river near
the wide reaches, which I had seen from the hill. From the forest land we
immediately entered a thick brush, and after cutting our way for near two
miles, the evening advancing, I thought it best to send back the horses
to the forest land, where there was plenty of grass, and proceeded myself
with some men to cut the road to the river; an object, which in about
another mile we effected. We happened to make it near the spot wished for.
The tide was going out, the water having fallen near three feet; though
not perfectly good it was drinkable, and would doubtless be sweet at
low-water. A small island here divides the river into two branches: below
the island the water appeared very deep, as did also the north side of the
island. Its breadth might be nearly a quarter of a mile; both banks were
very thick of brush, and the soil rich. About three quarters of a mile
down the reach, the bank on the southern side appears to become a little
more open, and, as I intended halting tomorrow, I determined to cut a road
to it, and clear the way as far as possible down the banks before we
proceeded on Monday. Our distance from this spot to the coast line did
not exceed eight or ten miles. It was nearly dark before we returned to
the place which we had fixed to encamp on, amidst abundance of fine grass
and good water.
October 4. - We could distinctly hear, during the night, the murmurs of
the surf on the beach, and the sound was most grateful to our ears, as
the welcome harbinger of the point to which eighteen weeks of anxious
pilgrimage had been directed. I accompanied the men who had been
appointed to cut the road along the banks of the river. We had performed
about a mile when we were stopped by a large stream from the southward. It
was therefore necessary to carry the road along the banks, which we did
for nearly two miles, when we left of for the day and returned to our
tent. I caused the main branch of the river to be sounded near the
junction of the southern branch which I had named King's River,
(after my friend who is now surveying the coast of this continent),
and found, at one third ebb, four fathoms.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 144 of 184
Words from 74269 to 74785
of 95539
