We Passed Over A Very Barren Desolate
Country, Perfectly Level, Without Even The Slightest Eminence, Covered
With Dwarf Box-Trees And Scrubby Bushes; Towards The Latter Part Of The
Day A Few Small Cypresses Were Seen.
I think the other side of the river
is much the same.
We have hitherto met with no water except at the
river, and a few shallow lagoons, which are evidently dry in summer. I
do not know how far this level extends north and south, but I cannot
estimate it at less than from ten to twelve miles on each side; but this
is mere conjecture, since for the last three days I have been unable to
see beyond a mile: I have, however, occasionally made excursions of
five or six miles, and never perceived any difference in the elevation
of the country. To-day the course of the river has been a little south
of west: its windings are very frequent and sudden, fully accounting for
the apparent heights of the floods, of which marks were observed about
thirty-six feet above the level of the stream. At six o'clock the boats
had not arrived; and as I had given directions on no account to attempt
to proceed after dark, I ceased to expect them this evening.
May 4. - As soon as it was light I sent two men up the river to search
for the boat: at nine o'clock one of them returned, having found it
about four miles back. It appeared that the large boat had got stoved
against a tree under water, and that the people were obliged to unload
and haul her on shore to undergo some repairs, which they had effected;
but the rain prevented them from paying her bottom. They expected to be
able to proceed in an hour or two, as the weather had begun to clear up.
It was fortunate that no damage had befallen any part of the boat's
lading. At twelve proceeded about three quarters of a mile down the
river, and from a small eminence half a mile north of it, an extensive
tract of clear country was seen, bearing N. 50. W., about two or three
miles from us, having a low range of hills bounding them in the
direction of S. 65. W. and N. 65. E. The river wound immediately under
the hill, taking a westerly direction as far as I went, which was about
three miles; its windings were very sudden, and its width and depth much
the same as before. The country, as far as I could see, was precisely
similar to that already passed over: the hills were slaty and barren,
with a few small cypresses: in fact, I have seen them grow on no other
spots so frequently as on those stony hills. The boats arrived about two
o'clock.
May 5. - Proceeded down the river, ascended the eminence mentioned
yesterday, and from the top of a cypress tree a very distant view of the
whole country was obtained: the opening through which the river
apparently runs bore S. 75 1/2 W.; the country to the south and
south-west extremely low. A range of hills, lying nearly east and west,
bounded the level tract on the other side of the river; these hills and
two or three detached hammocks excepted, there was nothing to break the
uniformity of the scene.
The country was in general poor, with partial tracts of better ground;
the hills were slaty, and covered as well as the levels with small
eucalypti, cypresses, and casuarinas. About a mile from this place we
fell in with a small tribe of natives, consisting of eight men; their
women we did not see. They did not appear any way alarmed at the sight
of us, but came boldly up: they were covered with cloaks made of opossum
skins; their faces daubed with a red and yellow pigment, with neatly
worked nets bound round their hair: the front tooth in the upper row was
wanting in them all: they were unarmed, having nothing with them but
their stone hatchets. It appeared from their conduct that they had
either seen or heard of white people before, and were anxious to depart,
accompanying the motion of going with a wave of their hand.
About three miles from our last night's halting-place we had to cross a
small creek, the banks of which were so steep that we were obliged to
unload the horses. I rode up the creek about three quarters of a mile,
and came upon those extensive plains before-mentioned; the soil of this
level appears a good loamy clay, but in some places very wet: it was far
too extensive to permit us to traverse much of it; we saw sufficient to
judge that the whole surface was similar to that we examined; it was
covered with a great variety of new plants, and its margin encircled by
a new species of acacia, which received the specific name of PENDULA,
from its resembling in habit the weeping willow. Low hills to the north
bounded this plain, whilst a slip of barren land, covered with small
trees and shrubs, lay between it and the river.
It appeared to me that the whole of these flats are occasionally
overflowed by the river, the water of which is forced up the creek
before-mentioned, and which again acts as a drain on the fall of the
water.
At four o'clock we halted for the evening, after a fatiguing day's
journey; the boats were obliged to cut their passage three or four
times, and the whole navigation was difficult and dangerous: the current
ran with much rapidity, and the channel seemed rather to contract than
widen. We were obliged to stop on a very barren desolate spot, with
little grass for the horses; but further on the country appeared even
worse. The south bank of the river (as far as I could judge) is
precisely similar to that which we are travelling down.
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