Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in North-West and Western Australia Volume I Part 36

March 8.

As soon as we had sufficient light for the purpose I proceeded to examine the stores. The flour was not very good at starting; it had been packed in small bags, that being the most convenient form to have it in both for stowing and transporting it on men's shoulders; and in the hurricane which we had experienced on Dorre Island this flour had got thoroughly soaked: from that period to the present time it had been constantly wet with salt water; last night's adventures completed its disasters and it was now quite spoilt and an unwholesome article of food; but having nothing else to eat we were forced to satisfy ourselves with it, and I directed it to be dried in the sun and then carefully repacked. The wind was from the south-south-west, about half a gale, and there was such a tremendous surf on the sh.o.r.e that to launch the boats was impossible. I therefore started to look for water and to explore the country.

SEARCH FOR WATER.

The point we had landed at was immediately at the base of some bare sandhills, about four hundred feet high. These are the hills which are visible from the high land of Dorre Island on the opposite side of the bay: it struck me that from their great height and their porous nature there was a probability of our finding water by digging, even in this apparently sandy desert; I therefore selected a spot at the foot of the highest hill, in the bare sand, and ordered a well to be opened. Our efforts were crowned with success; the well had not been sunk more than four or five feet when we came to a coa.r.s.e gravelly sand, saturated with water, which was perfectly sweet and good; and when the well was sunk about two or three feet deeper the water poured in so fast that there would have been no difficulty in watering a s.h.i.+p at this point.

APPEARANCE OF A LAKE. EXAMINATION OF IT.

Whilst the men were engaged in filling the water kegs I ascended the highest sandhill, the summit of which was not distant more than a mile from the well. When I gained this a most splendid sight burst upon my view: to the westward stretched the boundless sea, lashed by the wind into white and curling waves; whilst to the east of me lay a clear calm unruffled lake, studded with little islands. To the north or north-east I could, even with a good telescope, see no limits to this lake, and, with the exception of the numerous beautiful islands with which it was studded, I could, even from the commanding position which I occupied, distinguish nothing like rising land anywhere between north by east and south-east. The lake had a gla.s.sy and fairy-like appearance, and I sat down alone on the lofty eminence to contemplate this great water which the eye of European now for the first time rested on. I looked seaward, and it appeared as if nature had heaped up the narrow and lofty sandy barrier on which I stood to shut out from the eyes of man the lovely and fairy-like land which lay beyond it.

At length I rose and returned to the party. The news of my discovery filled all with hope; and, our miserable breakfast having been hurriedly despatched, I selected three men to accompany me in my first examination of the sh.o.r.es of this inland sea. When we had gained the top of the sandhills the surprise of these men was as great as my own, and they begged me to allow them to return and endeavour by the united efforts of the party to carry one of the whale-boats over the intervening range, and at once to launch it on this body of water.

I however deemed it more prudent in the first instance to select the best route along which to move the whale-boat, as well as to choose a spot which afforded facilities for launching it. In pursuance of this determination we descended the eastern side of the sandhills which abruptly fell in that direction with a slope certainly not much exceeding an angle of 45 degrees. I now found that the water did not approach so near the foot of the hills as I had imagined, but that immediately at their base lay extensive plains of mud and sand, at times evidently flooded by the sea; for on them lay dead sh.e.l.ls of many kinds and sizes, as well as large travelled blocks of coral. The water here appeared to be about a mile distant; it was also apparently boundless in an east and north-east direction: and was studded with islands.

REMARKABLE PLAINS. DELUSION FROM MIRAGE.

We still all felt convinced that it was water we saw, for the shadows of the low hills near it, as well as those of the trees upon them, could be distinctly traced on the unruffled surface. As we continued to advance, the water however constantly retreated before us and at last surrounded us. I now found that we had been deceived by mirage; the apparent islands being really such only when these plains are covered by the sea. In many places the sandy mud was so moist that we sank deeply into it, and after travelling for fifteen miles on a north-east course I could still see no limit to these plains in that direction, nor could I either then or on any subsequent occasion find the channel which connected them with the sea. The only mode of accounting for their being flooded is to suppose that the sea at times pours in over the low land which lies to the north of the Gascoyne, and flows northward through channels which will be seen in the chart of this part of the country; but I then believed, and still consider, that there is hereabouts a communication with some large internal water.

We saw no tracks of natives and only a few of emus and native dogs. The few portions of rising ground which lay near the edge of these extensive plains were sandy, scrubby, and unpromising; but what we saw was so little that no opinion of the country could fairly be deduced from it. We dug in several places on the flats and in their vicinity but all the water we could find was salt; whereas in the narrow range of sandhills separating them from the sea we had discovered abundance of fresh water only four or five feet below the surface of the valleys lying between these hills. As this range of more than thirty miles in length offered many geological phenomena I called it Lyell's Range in compliment to the distinguished geologist of that name; the plains themselves I named the Plains of Kolaina (Deceit).

INDISPOSITION OF SEVERAL OF THE PARTY. SICKNESS FROM DELAY AND DISAPPOINTMENT.

On my return to the boats I found that Mr. Smith was still unwell; several other men were also complaining; I myself was wearied from exertion and disappointment that my great discovery had dwindled away: the place where we were was infested by land-crabs who kept running over us continually, and the sand which drifted before the wind got into the pores of the skin, and kept most of us in a constant state of painful irritation. The night was therefore not a pleasant one.

March 9.

Throughout the night the winds had howled loudly and the surf broke hoa.r.s.ely upon the sh.o.r.e. The grey dawn of morning brought no comfort with it: far out to seaward nothing but broken water could be seen, and half a gale of wind blew from the south by east. The bad and insufficient food I had been compelled to eat had brought on violent sickness and other evil effects, and I found myself very ill. As the daylight advanced report after report came to me that some one of the party had been attacked by the same diseases experienced by Mr. Smith and myself.

EXAMINATION OF THE Sh.o.r.e TO THE NORTHWARD, AND OF THE COUNTRY TO THE SOUTH-EAST.

I was only well enough to write and survey a little, but I sent off a party to a point which lay about six miles to the north of us, and they on their return reported that there was a continuation of a similar sh.o.r.e for the next fourteen or fifteen miles, bordered in like manner by sandy muddy plains similar to those behind the hills where we were.

This party found one of the yellow and black water-snakes asleep upon a piece of dry seaweed on the beach and killed it. The fact of this animal being found on sh.o.r.e proves its amphibious character. I saw them in one instance, in December 1837, so far out at sea as to be distant 150 miles from land.

Sunday March 10.

I spent a wretched night from illness and foul weather; the roaring of the surf on the sh.o.r.e was so loud and incessant that to one feverish and in want of quiet and rest it was a positive distress, and both Mr. Smith, myself, and half the men were at this time seriously indisposed. We had strong gales of wind all day from south by east, but in the afternoon I walked out for five miles in an east-south-east direction with such of the men as were able to move; nothing however could be seen but a continuation of the same barren, treeless country; we observed no signs of natives except tracks in the mud of a single man who had pa.s.sed some months ago.

It annoyed me now to find that the silvering of the gla.s.ses of my large s.e.xtant was so much injured from the constant wettings it had experienced that this day it was almost useless. I had hoped in the course of our walk to have fallen in with some game, but we did not see a single bird with the exception of some small ones, about the size of tomt.i.ts, which flew from bush to bush along the sandhills.

SUFFERINGS FROM HEAT AND PRIVATION.

We had a small quant.i.ty of portable soup with us, nearly all of which we used, and it in some degree restored us, but another miserable night was pa.s.sed by us all and in the morning I was grieved to see how ill many of the men looked. Their situation was really deplorable and I had with me neither medicines nor proper food to give them. Abundance of these lay at our depot not more than forty miles from us, yet to reach it was impossible; and dawn this morning had only revealed to us a heavier surf and stronger gale from the southward than we had yet experienced. None of the men were well enough to undergo the fatigue of another day's walking, so I busied myself with making observations and taking bearings, and thus the forenoon wore away. The point of the coast on which we were lay in 24 degrees 30 minutes south lat.i.tude, and the mean temperature up to this period had been:

6 A.M. 76.

12 M. 83.

3 P.M. 87.

6 P.M. 78 degrees.

At noon a portion of some disgusting damper and a small piece of pork was served out to each of us and, having soon disposed of this, the men lay down under the side of the boats, seeking some shelter from the burning rays of a tropical sun which, being reflected back from the white sand, were very oppressive.

AFFRAY WITH THE NATIVES.

I was occupied in sketching in a portion of the coastline, and whilst thus engaged I thought I saw the figures of two natives moving upon a hill a few hundred yards to the north of us; they appeared to me to be behind some low bushes which were close to the summit of this hill. I watched the bushes narrowly and felt nearly confident I saw them; but however to be sure beyond a doubt I got up and took my eyes from the spot for a few seconds whilst I walked to get my telescope. I then carefully examined the hill with the gla.s.s and could see nothing but the low bushes on it. "A pretty bushman I am," I thought to myself, "to be thus deceived with two old shrubs; I should have known a native better;" and with a feeling almost of annoyance at my mistake I resumed my seat on an inverted water-keg and went on with my drawing. Within a minute's time an alarm of natives was given, and starting up I saw from twenty to thirty on some sandhills to the north of us, distant about two hundred yards; their spears were fixed in their throwing-sticks and they evidently were prepared for a fray. I therefore ran to the boat for my gun, which Ruston tried to get out for me; and at this moment, on casting my eyes upwards, I saw a native start up on the sandbank not more than fifteen yards from Ruston and myself; he poised his spear for one second, and it then came whistling at us. I dodged and the spear flew past without my seeing what became of it. I instantly gave the order to watch the bank and to fire at anything that showed itself above it; and Mr. Walker now had got hold of his gun and very gallantly ran up the bank and occupied it: in the meantime the native who had thrown the spear caught up a bag in each hand and ran off. Several shots which were fired at the distant natives sc.r.a.ped up the sand so near them that they found it prudent to decamp as speedily as they could.

CHASE AFTER STOLEN GOODS.

I found that Ruston was wounded slightly in the knee by the spear which the native had thrown, and we had also sustained a severe loss in the bags which they had carried off as one of them contained fourteen fis.h.i.+ng-lines and several other articles of great value to us in our present position. I therefore determined upon a pursuit in the hopes of recovering these, and taking four or five men I gave chase. The long-legged natives had however considerably the advantage of us both in bottom, wind, and cunning; and whenever they found we gained at all upon them they strewed a few articles out of the bags upon the ground, and these it took us some time to collect; and in this manner, alternately running and stopping to pick things up, I continued the pursuit until near sunset. At this time three of us had completely outrun the rest of our party, who were far behind; the natives had also latterly made great headway, so that they were rapidly dropping us astern; we also had recovered everything but the fis.h.i.+ng-lines (which however we could but ill spare). I therefore determined to collect my forces and return to the boats. In the ardour of pursuit I found we had come five or six miles, and it had been for some time dark when we again reached the encampment.

The natives in this attack were far too few in number to render it a very formidable affair for from five-and-twenty to thirty savages, armed alone with spears, could have availed very little against eleven resolute Europeans with fire-arms in their hands. The native who had stolen so near us was however most decidedly a n.o.ble and daring fellow: their object evidently was to possess themselves of our property; and we had had one man wounded in the fray, and had lost some fis.h.i.+ng-lines, without gaining any reparation. I therefore felt well a.s.sured that they would pay us another visit; and thus, to the misfortunes we were already suffering under, we had the new one added of being on hostile terms with the surrounding aborigines. It moreover set in to rain hard and to blow fresher than ever just as we reached the boats. I saw that all that could be done for Ruston had been attended to, and then, lying down, tried to forget my troubles in sleep.

CONTINUED DETENTION FROM FOUL WEATHER. DESOLATE AND GLOOMY SITUATION.

From this period up to Friday the 15th of March the wind blew strong from the southward, accompanied with such a heavy sea and tremendous surf that to move was impossible. Our position was very trying; inactivity, under the circ.u.mstances in which we were situated, was most difficult to support; for the mind, ever p.r.o.ne to prey upon itself, does so far more when you are compelled to sit down and patiently submit to misfortunes against which there are no means of resistance. Such was the state to which we were now reduced, on a barren and unknown coast which the foot of civilized man had never before trodden: many of my party were suffering acute bodily pain from the badness of the provisions on which they were compelled to subsist; the weakness of most of them, and myself amongst the number, precluded the possibility of any distant explorations being made, and we were kept in a constant state of watchfulness in order to prevent the natives from again surprising us; for they repeatedly showed themselves in our vicinity, hovering about with no friendly intentions. All that was left therefore for us was to sit upon the lonely beach, watching the winds and the waters until some favourable moment might enable us to get off and once more engage in that task of which so small a portion was as yet accomplished.

Day after day did we sit and wait for this favourable moment until the noise of the hoa.r.s.e breaking surf had become a familiar sound to our ears; but the longer the men watched the more dispirited did they become; each returning day found them more weak and wan, more gloomy and petulant, than the preceding one; and when the eighth day of constant and fruitless expectation slowly closed upon us I felt a gloomy foreboding creeping over me.

By making observations, drawing, writing up my journal, etc. I had managed hitherto to keep my mind employed. I had also tasked my ability to the utmost to constantly invent some occupation for the men, but my resources of this nature were now all exhausted; and on Friday night I stretched myself on the sand, not to sleep, but to brood, throughout the weary night, on our present position.

CONSOLATIONS OF RELIGION.

It may be asked if, during such a trying period, I did not seek from religion that consolation which it is sure to afford? My answer is, Yes; and I farther feel a.s.sured that, but for the support I derived from prayer and frequent perusal and meditation of the Scriptures, I should never have been able to have borne myself in such a manner as to have maintained discipline and confidence amongst the rest of the party: nor in all my sufferings did I ever lose the consolation derived from a firm reliance upon the goodness of Providence. It is only those who go forth into perils and dangers, amidst which human foresight and strength can but little avail, and who find themselves, day after day, protected by an unseen influence, and ever and again s.n.a.t.c.hed from the very jaws of destruction by a power which is not of this world, who can at all estimate the knowledge of one's own weakness and littleness, and the firm reliance and trust upon the goodness of the Creator which the human breast is capable of feeling. Like all other lessons which are of great and lasting benefit to man this one must be learnt amid much sorrowing and woe; but, having learnt it, it is but the sweeter from the pain and toil which are undergone in the acquisition.

PUT TO SEA.

March 16.

A great portion of Friday night was pa.s.sed by me in walking up and down the beach, anxiously looking out seaward; and it appeared to me about three o'clock that the wind had much abated; from this period until dawn it continued gradually to subside: and as daylight stole in I saw that the surf had somewhat fallen. I resolved at all events to lose no single chance that offered itself in our favour, so I turned all hands out, and in a few minutes the boats rode triumphantly beyond the surf, which was indeed much heavier than I expected to have found it, and my boat was nearly filled in pa.s.sing the outer bar: but now the surf was behind us, and it is the nature of man to laugh at perils that are past. Our thoughts too were soon called to present difficulties, for a tremendous sea was running outside, the wind directly in our teeth, and every moment freshening again. Throughout the whole of Sat.u.r.day the men toiled incessantly at their oars, and when it wanted about an hour to sunset we had only made about seven miles and a half of southing.

COMPELLED AGAIN TO BEACH THE BOATS.

The wind had again increased to such a degree as to endanger our safety, and it appeared to freshen as the night came on. I therefore had no resource left but again to beach the boats on this dangerous coast. Once more, then, was the scene repeated of dancing in a boat with maddening speed upon furious rollers, until these break and it is borne in, followed by a ma.s.s of foam far higher than the stern, which appears eagerly to pursue for the purpose of engulfing it.

BEACHING BOATS.

There is no scene in nature more exciting or which in a greater degree calls forth one's energy than the beaching of a boat in a dangerous surf.

Never did I on such occasions take the steer-oar for the purpose of running the boat in but many contending feelings rushed through my mind, and after a few moments settled down into the calm which springs from the conviction that the general safety in coming dangers depends altogether upon the coolness and resolution with which they are met, and never more so than in beaching a boat when once you are among the foaming waters; in you must go; to retreat is impossible, and nothing is left but that each one silently and steadily do his duty, regardless of the strife and din of raging waves around. The only plan to adopt is for all to give way strongly and steadily, let what will take place, whilst the boat-steerer keeps her head straight for the beach. A huge roller breaks right into the boat and almost swamps it, a man is knocked over and loses his oar, heed not these things; let each man mind his own oar and nought else, and give way give way strongly, until the boat grounds, then in a moment each quits his oar and springs into the water, and ere the wave has retired the boat is partially run up; another wave succeeds, and the operation of running up is repeated until she is high and dry. Had our boats been swamped in the surf, even if we had escaped with our lives, our position would have been fearful; left without food or resources in an unknown and savage country so far beyond the reach of man's a.s.sistance. When therefore I again saw the boats safely beached, and my little party drying themselves over a fire, my breast filled with thankfulness to that Providence who had again watched over our safety.

ADJACENT COUNTRY EXPLORED.

Sunday March 17.

It blew half a gale of wind from the southward all night, and next morning such a surf was breaking upon the beach that to have attempted to move would have been madness. Here we were therefore once more kept prisoners upon this dreary coast; the country was exactly similar to that lying immediately to the north of it, with these two exceptions, that the range of sandhills was less elevated, and that we could not here find fresh water. The morning was pa.s.sed in searching for it; in the middle of the day I read a few appropriate chapters in the Bible to the men, and in the afternoon I explored the country but discovered nothing whatever of an interesting nature.

LAUNCH THE BOATS, AND ENTER NORTHERN MOUTH OF THE GASCOYNE. CHARACTER OF THE COUNTRY.

March 18.