The Ticks That I Mentioned Just Now, Are Little Insects No Bigger
Than A Pin's Head When They First Fasten On To You, But Soon Become Swollen
With Blood Until Larger Than A Pea.
They do no harm to a man besides the
unpleasant feeling they occasion, but they almost invariably kill a dog.
Nearly all our dogs fell victims sooner or later to either the alligator or
the tick.
HOW WE EXPLORED THE MACKAY RIVER.
We now determined to carry with us enough tea, sugar, and flour to last for
a week, and to work up towards the unknown country at the head of the
Mackay, leaving the boat in its present position, under the charge of two
men. We intended to push towards the range whence both the Macalister and
the Mackay rivers drew their supply; and as the former stream in its
windings over the open plain approached within a mile of its large
neighbour, we resolved to move the boat a little further up before starting
on our new expedition. By occasionally lightening her, and dragging her
over the shallows, this was accomplished in a couple of hours, and we
finally halted at a bend in the river where the bank was high enough to
shield the boat from all observation, whilst the scrub bordering the
Mackay, standing at less than a quarter of a mile distant, the men left
behind could easily see if any considerable body of blacks moved between
the two streams, and could take the bearings of all smoke arising from
fires in the direction of the coast, so that we might visit them hereafter,
if deemed necessary. The fact of two rivers, each containing a constant
supply of water, being found in such close proximity to each other, caused
much remark, for none of us had ever observed a similar instance in
Australia, which is as a rule very deficient in permanent rivers.
We now turned our attention to getting sufficient provisions cooked to last
the exploring party for three days, as we were determined to employ the
utmost vigilance, and show as little smoke as possible, for nothing creates
such suspicion amongst the aboriginals as seeing fresh fires constantly
lighted, unless accompanied by the smoke signals, which I have described in
a former chapter. As we were utterly ignorant of the code they employed,
we resolved only to light our fires at night, and not even then unless we
found some sequestered spot where the flame would be unseen. Some of us at
once started for a large lagoon that we had passed in the morning, and
creeping up through the long grass, found its surface quite covered with
water-fowl of every description, from the black swan to the beautiful pigmy
goose. A volley, fired at a concerted signal, strewed the surface of the
lake with the dead and wounded, and we were compelled to stand idly on the
bank until the wind wafted the game ashore, for at the report of the guns
two or three heavy splashes and as many dusky forms gliding into the water
betokened that we had disturbed alligators, either having a nap, or lying
in wait for kangaroos and wallaby coming down to drink.
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