They Saw No Water,
And But Little Game Of Any Kind.
June 29.
- As we proceeded down the river, the country gradually became
much lower in its immediate vicinity; and between four and five miles
from our resting-place it was even with the banks, and in some places
overflowed them. All travelling near the river with horses was at once
interrupted, and this was the more perplexing as it rendered the
communication with the boats uncertain, and liable to be cut off
altogether. Finding that those marshes were only impassable for a mile
or little more from the river, and that occasionally we could approach
within one hundred yards of it, the horses were directed to keep round
the edge of them, making for the river whenever practicable, and firing
guns to let the boats know our situation. At two o'clock in the after.
noon we stopped, after going about ten miles and a half, about one
hundred and fifty yards from the river. which we could not approach
nearer by reason of wet and boggy marshes; in fact, the place where we
stopped is of the same description, but now (fortunately for us) dry.
The country north-east of us, along the dry edge of which we were
obliged to keep, is as bad as possible, being in wet seasons full of
water-holes, and consequently impassable. The river still continues
undiminished, as we find that the branches and small streams that
frequently run from it join it again at short distances, and that they
owe their existence at this time to the full state of the river, which
is certainly some feet above its usual level.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 196 of 354
Words from 52645 to 52923
of 95539