Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia Volume I Part 9

May 13.

The next morning at eight o'clock we were within two miles of Cape Fleeming, the north-easternmost extremity of the island; and, bearing up along the north coast of Melville Island, pa.s.sed close to Point Jahleel.

On a sandy beach to the westward of the last point two natives were walking, but they pa.s.sed on without noticing our presence. Eight miles to the South-West of Point Jahleel is Brenton Bay, which we had nearly pa.s.sed before it was observed: the vessel was brought to the wind.

May 14.

But it was the next morning before we succeeded in fetching into the opening. It terminates in an inlet which probably runs some little distance into the interior of the island. It is about five miles deep, but the depth is so trifling that we were prevented from running into it far enough to obtain shelter from the wind. In the evening we anch.o.r.ed in a picturesque bay which, although open to the north, offers a tolerable shelter during the easterly monsoon: the beach is sandy, but is probably shoal and of rocky approach. The country appeared verdant, and the hills are thickly wooded; at the bottom of the bay a shoal opening trends in between two hills, over which, in the evening, seven natives were observed to cross in a canoe. This was called Lethbridge Bay. On the western side of the bay is a range of cliff like the pipe-clay cliff of Goulburn Island, the upper half being red, and the lower half white; and four miles off the west point of the bay are two patches of rocks on which the sea breaks; these were called the Madford Shoals.

May 15.

Twenty-five miles west from Lethbridge Bay is a projecting point from which the coast takes a north-westerly direction. In pa.s.sing a breaker that lies off the point our cook fell overboard, but the boat was quickly lowered and picked him up; for some time his life was despaired of, but a little attention, and the warmth of the sun's heat, at last restored him.

On each side of the point which is formed behind Karslake Island is a bay; and at the bottom of each there appeared to be a shoal opening. The coast is here higher than usual, and is thickly wooded; but the coastline to the northward is formed of high cliffs without much wood, and of a remarkable white colour.

May 16.

The next morning we pa.s.sed round Cape Van Diemen; and in the evening anch.o.r.ed off a tabular-shaped hill that formed the south end of a sandy bay. It was dark when we anch.o.r.ed.

May 17.

The next morning we found that we had anch.o.r.ed in the mouth of a very considerable river-like opening, the size of which inspired us with the flattering hope of having made an important discovery, for as yet we had no idea of the insularity of Melville Island.

The table-shaped hill near our anchorage was named Luxmore Head, and the bay to the north was called St. Asaph's, in compliment to the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of that diocese.

The day being Sunday our intention was, after taking bearings from the summit of Luxmore Head, to delay our further proceeding until the next morning, but the circ.u.mstance that occurred kept us so much on the alert that it was anything but a day of rest. Having landed at the foot of the hill we ascended its summit, but found it so thickly wooded as to deprive us of the view we had antic.i.p.ated; but, as there were some openings in the trees through which a few distant objects could be distinguished, we made preparations to take their bearings, and while the boat's crew were landing the theodolite, our party were amusing themselves on the top of the hill.

Suddenly however, but fortunately before we had dispersed, we were surprised by natives, who, coming forward armed with spears, obliged us very speedily to retreat to the boat; and in the sauve qui peut sort of way in which we ran down the hill, at which we have frequently since laughed very heartily, our theodolite stand and Mr. Cunningham's insect-net were left behind, which they instantly seized upon. I had fired my fowling-piece at an iguana just before the appearance of the natives, so that we were without any means of defence; but, having reached the boat without accident, where we had our muskets ready, a parley was commenced for the purpose of recovering our losses. After exchanging a silk-handkerchief for a dead bird, which they threw into the water for us to pick up, we made signs that we wanted fresh water, upon which they directed us to go round the point, and upon our pulling in that direction, they followed us, skipping from rock to rock with surprising dexterity and speed. As soon as we reached the sandy beach on the north side of Luxmore Head, they stopped and invited us to land, which we should have done, had it not been that the noises they made soon collected a large body of natives who came running from all directions to their a.s.sistance; and in a short time there were twenty-eight or thirty natives a.s.sembled. After a short parley with them in which they repeatedly asked for axes by imitating the action of chopping, we went on board, intimating to them our intention of returning with some, which we would give to them upon the restoration of the stand, which they immediately understood and a.s.sented to. The natives had three dogs with them.

On our return to the beach the natives had again a.s.sembled, and shouted loudly as we approached. Besides the whale boat, in which Mr. Bedwell was stationed with an armed party ready to fire if any hostility commenced, we had our jolly-boat, in which I led the way with two men, and carried with me two tomahawks and some chisels. On pulling near the beach the whole party came down and waded into the water towards us; and, in exchange for a few chisels and files, gave us two baskets, one containing fresh water and the other was full of the fruit of the sago-palm, which grows here in great abundance. The basket containing the water was conveyed to us by letting it float on the sea, for their timidity would not let them approach us near enough to place it in our hands; but that containing the fruit, not being buoyant enough to swim, did not permit of this method, so that, after much difficulty, an old man was persuaded to deliver it. This was done in the most cautious manner, and as soon as he was sufficiently near the boat he dropped or rather threw the basket into my hand and immediately retreated to his companions, who applauded his feat by a loud shout of approbation. In exchange for this I offered him a tomahawk, but his fears would not allow him to come near the boat to receive it. Finding nothing could induce the old man to approach us a second time, I threw it towards him, and upon his catching it the whole tribe began to shout and laugh in the most extravagant way. As soon as they were quiet we made signs for the theodolite stand, which, for a long while, they would not understand; at one time they pretended to think by our pointing towards it, that we meant some spears that were lying near a tree, which they immediately removed: the stand was then taken up by one of their women, and upon our pointing to her, they feigned to think that she was the object of our wishes, and immediately left a female standing up to her middle in the water and retired to some distance to await our proceedings. On pulling towards the woman, who, by the way, could not have been selected by them either for her youth or beauty, she frequently repeated the words "Ven aca, Ven aca," accompanied with an invitation to land; but, as we approached, she retired towards the sh.o.r.e; when suddenly two natives, who had slowly walked towards us, sprang into the water and made towards the boat with surprising celerity, jumping at each step entirely out of the sea, although it was so deep as to reach their thighs. Their intention was evidently to seize the remaining tomahawk which I had been endeavouring to exchange for the stand, and the foremost had reached within two or three yards of the boat when I found it necessary, in order to prevent his approach, to threaten to strike him with a wooden club, which had the desired effect. At this moment one of the natives took up the stand, and upon our pointing at him, they appeared to comprehend our object; a consultation was held over the stand which was minutely examined; but, as it was mounted with bra.s.s and, perhaps on that account, appeared to them more valuable than a tomahawk, they declined giving it up, and gradually dispersed; or rather pretended so to do, for a party of armed natives was observed to conceal themselves under some mangrove bushes near the beach, whilst two canoes were plying about near at hand to entice our approach; the stratagem, however, did not succeed, and we lay off upon our oars for some time without making any movement. Soon afterwards the natives, finding that we had no intention of following them, left their canoes, and performed a dance in the water, which very conspicuously displayed their great muscular power: the dance consisted chiefly of the performers leaping two or three times successively out of the sea, and then violently moving their legs so as to agitate the water into a foam for some distance around them, all the time shouting loudly and laughing immoderately; then they would run through the water for eight or ten yards and perform again; and this was repeated over and over as long as the dance lasted. We were all thoroughly disgusted with them, and felt a degree of distrust that could not be conquered. The men were more muscular and better formed than any we had before seen; they were daubed over with a yellow pigment, which was the colour of the neighbouring cliff; their hair was long and curly, and appeared to be clotted with a whitish paint. During the time of our parley the natives had their spears close at hand, for those who were in the water had them floating near them, and those who were on the beach had them either buried in the sand, or carried them between their toes, in order to deceive us and to appear unarmed; and in this they succeeded, until one of them was detected, when we were pulling towards the woman, by his stooping down and picking up his spear.

Finding that we had no chance of recovering our loss, we returned on board, when the natives also withdrew from the beach, and did not afterwards show themselves.

May 18.

The next morning we weighed with the flood and worked up the opening against the wind for sixteen or seventeen miles, when the tide turned, and we anch.o.r.ed in eleven fathoms. In most parts the banks were inaccessible, being nearly overrun with mangroves; but the low appearance of the country within and the mischievous disposition of the natives made me less anxious to examine into the thick woods that surrounded us on all sides. Wherever a clear s.p.a.ce presented itself, the sago palm was seen mixed with the fan palm, the panda.n.u.s and other trees, among which the eucalyptus as usual appeared to be the most abundant.

May 19.

At eight o'clock the next morning we were again underweigh; and, with the flood-tide in our favour, made rapid progress. The opening had, however, become so much contracted, that it was found prudent to have a boat hoisted out, with the kedge and a hawser ready if the vessel should get on sh.o.r.e. After proceeding two miles further, it took a more easterly course, and as we advanced the general direction of the reaches were east and south. Our speculations ran high with regard to what it might be, and the probability of its being a large river appeared to our sanguine minds so certain that we never once fancied it could be otherwise; when suddenly the open sea appeared, and, demonstrating it to be merely a strait, at once dispelled our hopes.

Upon reaching between the two heads which form the south entrance of this Strait, the tide turned, and, beginning to run so swiftly back that we were prevented from getting out, obliged us very reluctantly to return to an anchorage within, which was not easily found, as the bottom was rocky and thickly studded with shoals. The anchor was at last dropped at three miles within the entrance near an open cliffy bank, on which there were two canoes hauled up, but no sign of their owners.

The night was squally, and the tide ran at the rate of nearly four knots.

May 20.

At low water the next morning the shoals were exposed, and showed us the dangers we had unknowingly encountered in pa.s.sing over them when they were covered. The pa.s.sages between them were found to be so intricate that, after sounding them for some time, we gave up all idea of pa.s.sing out by the south entrance.

May 21.

And, returning by the way we came, the next day anch.o.r.ed near our former position in St. Asaph Bay.

The Strait was named Apsley; and the land on the western side which had thus been proved to be insulated was named in compliment to the Right Honourable Earl Bathurst, his Majesty's Princ.i.p.al Secretary of State for the Colonies.

May 22.

The day following we coasted the North-West side of Bathurst Island; and at sunset anch.o.r.ed off a point from which a reef projects for a considerable distance into the sea.

May 23.

The next day we anch.o.r.ed off an opening at the bottom of an extensive bay, in three and a half fathoms.

It happened to be high water when we anch.o.r.ed; and, although we were three miles from the sh.o.r.e, the tide of ebb reduced the depth so much that there was reason to apprehend the cutter's being left dry at low water; the depth was, however, ten feet and a half, which was only eighteen inches more than the cutter's draught.

May 23.

The opening off which we had anch.o.r.ed was formed between two low, sandy points, and trended in to the South-East; on the land at the back was a long round-backed hill, which, when viewed from the northward, had a flat-topped appearance.

May 24.

Having sounded the s.p.a.ce between the anchorage and the sh.o.r.e, it was found that we were on the outer edge of a bar, within which the water deepened to five fathoms, and in the entrance there was as much as eleven and twelve fathoms; we therefore weighed the anchor, and, the wind blowing out, worked up towards the opening, which, as the tide was flowing, it did not take long to effect. On pa.s.sing the bar, we had not less water than eleven feet (low water soundings), after which the depth gradually increased. An anchorage was taken up in the evening within the entrance.

May 25.

And the next day, after an attempt to reach further up, in which we only succeeded to the distance of a mile, the examination was completed by our boat.

It was found to run in, gradually narrowing and decreasing in depth for eight miles, and to terminate in two salt-water creeks. The banks on both sides were impenetrably lined with mangroves, which effectually defied our attempts to land. Several creeks, communicating with the low inundated land behind the mangroves, joined the main stream at intervals on both sides; but they were not interesting enough in their appearance to detain us. We returned to the cutter at night.

May 26.

And the next day s.h.i.+fted our berth to an anchorage close to the sh.o.r.e on the north side of the entrance, for the purpose of wooding, where the trees were so convenient and close at hand that we completed our stock before dark.

During the evening, whilst we were occupied at the wooding-place, a party of natives were observed running towards us along the beach on the south side without the port, apparently returning from a hunting excursion, for the woods on the south side of the bay had been on fire for the last two days. As they approached they retired behind the beach among the trees, and, upon their reaching the opposite side of the entrance, crept upon their hands and knees behind the bushes, where they remained, as they thought, concealed until the evening. A little before dark they were observed to creep out and range themselves upon the beach, as if meditating upon their plans for the night, but by this time it was so dark that we could not see what they afterwards did; in order to deter them from approaching us, a musket was fired over their heads, and if this had the desired effect, it was a happy circ.u.mstance for them, for an immense shark was caught in the middle of the night, which, from the extraordinary capacity of its mouth and maw, could have swallowed one of them with the greatest ease. On opening the animal, we fully expected to discover the limbs of some of the natives, who we a.s.sured ourselves had crossed over to our side the water; but we only found a crab that had been so recently swallowed that some of our people made no hesitation in eating it for their supper. The night pa.s.sed without our being disturbed by or hearing anything of the natives.

May 27.

But, at daylight, on looking at the place where they had been concealed during the last evening, a canoe, which had been observed hauled up among the bushes, was missing, and we concluded that they were close to us; this proved to be the case, for no sooner had we cleared the point, than the natives sallied forth from the thicket, and, running up to their middles in the water to within thirty yards of the vessel, set up a loud shout which startled us not a little; for, busied as we were in securing the anchor and making sail, our attention at the moment was otherwise directed; and the first intimation that we had of their vicinity was from the noise they made, which was accompanied by violent gestures and pressing invitations for our return; but we continued on our way, and disregarded all their solicitations. They were evidently very much disappointed, since they expected to get some axes from us, for they made the same signs as the Luxmore Head natives had done by repeatedly imitating the action of chopping. On the south sh.o.r.e there were some women and children under the protection of two natives, whose voices were also loudly raised for our recall. The natives on our side were unarmed, but two bundles of spears were detected, propped up against a tree, close at hand. After some time they waded back to the sh.o.r.e, and slowly walked towards our wooding-place, where they, of course, found a chisel that had purposely been left for them upon the stump of a tree which had been felled by our wooding-party.

As soon as we crossed the bar we anch.o.r.ed, in order to obtain some lunar distances to fix the longitude of the port, as well as to bring up and complete the chart of this part of the coast. During the day, the natives remained at our wooding-place, and set the bushes on fire, the smoke of which enveloped the horizon and the neighbouring coast.

The names of Port Hurd and Mount Hurd were given to the harbour and the round-backed hill, after the late Captain Thomas Hurd of the Royal Navy, the Hydrographer of the Admiralty; the outer bay was called Gordon Bay.

May 28.

We left Gordon Bay the next morning, and pa.s.sed round its low South-West extremity, which proved to be Captain Baudin's Cape Helvetius. From this point the coast trends to the southward to Cape Fourcroy. In this interval the sh.o.r.e is formed by cliffs of a very dark red colour, and, half way between, is a projecting sandhill of remarkable appearance.

May 29 and 30.

During this and the following day we made very little progress. On the 30th at daylight we had a southerly wind; by eight o'clock we saw the land in patches to the northward, and some low islands bearing east. The land to the north was a part of the south side of Melville Island. The wind being fresh from the eastward we attempted to beat to windward, with the intention of anchoring near the islands, but the bottom was too rocky to admit of it. We then endeavoured to pa.s.s between them and Melville Island, but the ground was also so rocky and irregular that we desisted; and after an unsuccessful attempt to reach the southern pa.s.s, we steered off to the westward. This group was called Vernon's Islands. They are situated in mid-channel of the Strait that separates Melville Island from the main, which was named in honour of His Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence. The group consists of four low islands; they are each surrounded by a belt of mangroves, and are probably connected by reefs to the south sh.o.r.e.