The course of the river this day was
north-east, and our distance five miles and a half, although we had
travelled upwards of eight and three-quarters.
July 27. - As soon as it was light, our little canoe was launched; but
our hopes and expectations had been too sanguine as to her capability:
sufficiently strong and buoyant to contain one person, more was too much
for her; I therefore of necessity abandoned the design, and at half-past
nine o'clock again proceeded up the strewn. The fresh did not in
the least diminish, but I thought rather rose than fell. A line which
had last night been thrown into the stream, with little hope or
expectation of catching any thing, was found, when taken up this
morning, to have hooked a very fine fish. Since the flood we had almost
ceased to think of fish, as we never had the least success in our trials.
The river, as we had conjectured it would, trended this day again to the
north-east. The country passed over was low and nearly level. The points
and immediate banks were deeply flooded, forming extensive morasses, and
there were generally between them and the drier and more elevated land
deep serpentine lagoons, the water in which was clear and transparent,
it having been apparently a long time since that of the river had filled
them. The back land was a red sandy loam, very light, covered with
acacia bushes, spear-wood, and small cypresses; the only herbage, a
coarse tea-grass; and yet I do not think the kind of soil which appears
to be the universal one upon the drier lands, can be strictly called
barren: I have seen apparently much worse soils in a state of
cultivation. We crossed one or two large plains, clear of wood and even
bushes; the soil a stiff tenacious clay, which, though not flooded by
the river, retains all the water that falls upon it, there being no
descent or fall by which it can be conveyed to its natural drain, the
river. These plains were now dry and hard, and having been lately burnt,
the coarse natural herbage springing up fresh, gave them a pleasing
green appearance. One or two beautiful new shrubs in seed and flower
were found to-day, to the great satisfaction of the botanists, who had
not lately made many very splendid or valuable additions to their
collections.
A party of natives was seen on the opposite side of the river,
consisting of one man, two lads, and two women; they disappeared as soon
as they observed us.
The flood had swollen the stream to a considerable breadth; it was at
least sixty feet wide at the spot where we stopped, and was about six
feet below the banks.
July 28. - The waters in the stream continue stationary. There must
have been heavy rains to the eastward, to maintain at this height such
a body of water. As to the rains that fall westward of the Blue
Mountains, I am clearly of opinion, that they are in no way auxiliary in
forming this stream. The soil, the general level surface, without a
single water-course north or south, prove that all the waters which fall
are quickly absorbed; and I think it very probable that rain falls here
extremely seldom, and never simultaneously with the rain of the eastern
coast and mountains.
The day was full of cross accidents, and ended in the separation of the
expedition for the first time. The river turned suddenly north, whilst
extensive swamps ran out from it to the south-east, backed by thick
scrubby land, which we afterwards found, having taken another sudden
bend into the north-west, to be at a considerable distance, and which we
had some difficulty in finding at all, the smaller plains being
separated from the larger one by lagoons, edged with trees similar to
those on the banks of the river.
Not having been able to find the rest of my companions this evening, I
halted with three men on the spot where we reached the river, firing
muskets, that if any of the missing party were near, they might be
enabled to join us in the morning.
The bendings of the river were singularly remarkable, trending suddenly
from south-east by east to north-north-west, and then back to the north
and north-east; I mean the principal bending in the general course, for
the smaller ones were as usual innumerable.
Of the swamps, which in places, extended from eight to ten miles from
the river south-east and south, some parts were dry and others under
water; and there were occasionally large lagoons covered with
innumerable wild fowl of various descriptions. Great numbers of
native companions, bustards, and emus, were seen on the plains, Which, at
the termination of our day's journey, were of a better and drier
description than usual. The north-east hills bounding them were low,
thinly studded with trees, and although rocky on the summits, were
covered with green tea-grass. The flood in the river was very high, but
from the appearance of the banks, which were about five feet from the
water, I did not think it had risen much in the course of the day.
July 29. - At day-light sent a man on horseback to search for our missing
companions up the river, as we thought we had heard a musquet in that
direction in reply to one of ours. The man shortly returned, having met
with two men whom I had seen yesterday looking for their horses; they
had been joined by Mr. Cunningham, and had encamped about half a mile
higher up the stream than ourselves: of Mr. Evans's party, consisting
besides himself of five men, they had heard or seen nothing, nor had
they fallen in with any of their marks.
