I Had Then To Compel
Myself To Think Of Absent Friends And Past Times, And The Thought That
They Supposed Me Dead Or Unsuccessful In My Enterprize, Brought Me Back
Immediately To My Favourite Object.
Much, indeed the greater portion, of
my journey had been occupied in long reconnoitring rides; and he who is
Thus occupied is in a continued state of excitement, now buoyant with
hope, as he urges on his horse towards some distant range or blue
mountain, or as he follows the favourable bend of a river; now all
despairing and miserable, as he approaches the foot of the range without
finding water from which he could start again with renewed strength, or
as the river turns in an unfavourable direction, and slips out of his
course. Evening approaches; the sun has sunk below the horizon for some
time, but still he strains his eye through the gloom for the dark verdure
of a creek, or strives to follow the arrow-like flight of a pigeon, the
flapping of whose wings has filled him with a sudden hope, from which he
relapses again into a still greater sadness; with a sickened heart he
drops his head to a broken and interrupted rest, whilst his horse is
standing hobbled at his side, unwilling from excessive thirst to feed on
the dry grass. How often have I found myself in these different states of
the brightest hope and the deepest misery, riding along, thirsty, almost
lifeless and ready to drop from my saddle with fatigue; the poor horse
tired like his rider, footsore, stumbling over every stone, running
heedlessly against the trees, and wounding my knees! But suddenly, the
note of Grallina Australis, the call of cockatoos, or the croaking of
frogs, is heard, and hopes are bright again; water is certainly at hand;
the spur is applied to the flank of the tired beast, which already
partakes in his rider's anticipations, and quickens his pace - and a
lagoon, a creek, or a river, is before him. The horse is soon unsaddled,
hobbled, and well washed; a fire is made, the teapot is put to the fire,
the meat is dressed, the enjoyment of the poor reconnoiterer is perfect,
and a prayer of thankfulness to the Almighty God who protects the
wanderer on his journey, bursts from his grateful lips.
May 25. - We travelled about eight miles down the Lynd. The country was
very mountainous; granitic and pegmatite ranges bounded the valley on
both sides.
May 26. - We continued our journey over the most mountainous and rocky
country we had ever passed. The ranges formed the banks of the river
itself, and even entered its bed, which gradually enlarged and was
frequently formed by several channels fringed with large drooping tea
trees. At the end of the stage, basalt was found to have broken through
the granite.
May 27. - The river turned more to the northward, and, joined by many
gullies, wound its way between wild and rocky, though low ranges. At a
place where it left a range of rugged little peaks, basalt re-appeared at
its banks, and extended for some distance, now filling flats with its
rough and cellular blocks and pebbles, and again forming small hillocks
of black bare rock. As soon, however, as the river had fairly left the
basaltic formation, fine large flats of a light sandy soil succeeded on
both sides; on which Pandanus spiralis grew in great abundance, and to a
larger size than we had seen before. The bed of the river became very
broad, and was covered with sands, shingle, and pebbles of the rocks of
its upper course. I passed through a broad rocky gap of a range tending
from east to west, and, at about two miles beyond and to the north-west
of it, we encamped, in lat. 17 degrees 54 minutes 40 seconds.
In passing this gap, on a previous reconnoitring ride with Brown, I met
with several natives with their wives and children, encamped at the north
entrance of it. When they saw us, the men poised their spears, and shook
their waddis to frighten us, but when, notwithstanding their menaces, we
approached them, they left all their goods, and with their weapons only
hurried up the rocks with wonderful agility. Three koolimans (vessels of
stringy bark) were full of honey water, from one of which I took a hearty
draught, and left a brass button for payment. Dillis, fish spears, a
roasted bandicoot, a species of potatoe, wax, a bundle of tea-tree bark
with dry shavings; several flints fastened with human hair to the ends of
sticks, and which are used as knives to cut their skin and food; a
spindle to make strings of opossum wool; and several other small
utensils, were in their camp. One of my Blackfellows found a fine
rock-crystal [Note at end of para.] in one of their bags, when we passed
the place next day with our bullocks. The poor people had evidently not
yet ventured to return. The natives we had formerly met, had generally
watched our movements from a distance, and had returned to their camp as
soon as we had fairly left it; but these seemed too much frightened; and
I should not be surprised to find that the mountainous nature of their
country had given them a greater share of superstition.
[Note: This shows how far the custom extends throughout the continent, of
considering the rock-crystal as sacred; whether it be that it has been
transmitted from tribe to tribe, or that the native was everywhere
inclined to pick up a shining stone, and to consider it endowed with
peculiar virtues. From the absence of brilliant ores, or precious stones,
in the bags and dillis of the natives, I concluded, that neither precious
stones nor brilliant metallic substances existed in the country where
they lived. Those with whom we came in contact, generally admired our
gold and silver chains and watches very much, but had nothing to show in
return except broken shells from the sea-coast]
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