- We travelled over full twenty miles of country, although the
distance from camp to camp, in a straight line, did not exceed fourteen,
in a south by west direction; the latitude of our new camp was 16 degrees
27 minutes 26 seconds.
After passing several miles of tea-tree forest,
intermixed with box, and alternating with belts of grassy forest land,
with bloodwood and Nonda, we entered upon a series of plains increasing
in size, and extending to the westward as far as the eye could reach, and
separated from each other by narrow strips of forest; they were
well-grassed, but the grasses were stiff. Tea-tree hollows extended along
the outskirts of the plains. In one of them, we saw Salicornia for the
first time, which led us to believe that the salt water was close at
hand. Having crossed the plains, we came to broad sheets of sand,
overgrown with low shrubby tea-trees, and a species of Hakea, which
always grows in the vicinity of salt water. The sands were encrusted with
salt, and here and there strewed with heaps of Cytherea shells. Beyond
the sands, we saw a dense green line of mangrove trees extending along a
salt water creek, which we headed, and in which Brown speared the first
salt water mullet. We then came to a fine salt water river, whose banks
were covered with an open well grassed forest; interrupted only by flat
scrubby sandy creeks, into which the tide entered through narrow
channels, and which are probably entirely inundated by the spring tides.
Not finding any fresh water along the river I went up one of the creeks,
and found fresh water-holes, not in its bed, but parallel to it, scarcely
a mile from the river. When crossing the plains, the whole horizon
appeared to be studded with smoke from the various fires of the natives;
and when we approached the river, we noticed many well beaten footpaths
of the natives, who are found generally in greater numbers and stronger
tribes near the sea coast, where the supply of food is always more
abundant and certain.
The first sight of the salt water of the gulf was hailed by all with
feelings of indescribable pleasure, and by none more than by myself;
although tinctured with regret at not having succeeded in bringing my
whole party to the end of what I was sanguine enough to think the most
difficult part of my journey. We had now discovered a line of
communication by land between the eastern coast of Australia, and the
gulf of Carpentaria: we had travelled along never failing, and, for the
greater part, running waters: and over an excellent country, available,
almost in its whole extent, for pastoral purposes. The length of time we
had been in the wilderness, had evidently made the greater portion of my
companions distrustful of my abilities to lead them through the journey;
and, in their melancholy conversations, the desponding expression, "We
shall never come to Port Essington," was too often overheard by me to be
pleasant.
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