Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia Volume I Part 42

August 22.

Early this morning the cooeys of three natives were heard. On meeting them they went through the usual formalities; an old man fixing his eyes on the ground with due decorum. They could say budgery; and by their repeating this word they appeared, in our eyes, infinitely less savage than the natives on the Darling. They also plainly alluded to the man wounded with small shot at the encounter which took place on our formerly occupying the next camp up the Bogan. We understood them to allude to this event by their tapping rapidly with the finger over the arm and shoulder; and then pointing towards the place where the unfortunate rencontre happened. We had been more than usual on our guard in returning towards the haunts of a tribe where we had, although unwillingly, done such mischief; but these fellows seemed, by their laughing, to advert to it as a good joke, and we therefore concluded that the poor fellow had recovered. They asked for nothing, and on retiring made signs that they were going towards the hills, or westward. We travelled towards our former camp of May 14, but the distance being sixteen miles it was too much for our weak animals. We halted therefore four miles short of it; and though we turned a mile off the route to the eastward in search of the Bogan we did not find it until after we had encamped, and then at nearly a mile further to the eastward still.

ANOTHER MAN OF THE PARTY TAKEN ILL.

Another man of the party, Johnston, who was rather aged, began to show symptoms of the black scurvy, which made him walk lame. This might be partly attributed to the rancidity of the salt pork rather than the saltness, as it had been in a great measure spoiled by having been taken out of the proper barrels and put without brine into the water casks before I joined the party. The two men now afflicted with scurvy were precisely those who ate this pork most voraciously; and consequently its effect soonest became apparent upon them.

Acacia pendula. BEAUTY OF THE SCENERY.

August 23.

The weather again quite serene. We continued our march and, pa.s.sing our former camp of the 14th, reached that of May 13 by two P.M. The ponds in which we had before found water were now dried up; but we fortunately discovered others a little distance higher. At two miles onward from the camp of May 14 we saw bushes of Acacia pendula for the first time since we had previously pa.s.sed that place. The locality of that beautiful shrub is very peculiar, being always near but never within, the limits of inundations. Never far from hills yet never upon them. These bushes, blended with a variety of other acacias and crowned here and there with casuarinae, form very picturesque groups, especially when relieved with much open ground. Indeed the beauty of the sylvan scenery on the lower Bogan may be cited as an exception to the general want of pictorial effect in the woods of New South Wales. The poverty of the foliage of the eucalyptus, the prevailing tree, affords little of ma.s.s or shadow; and indeed seldom has that tree, either in the trunk or branches, anything ornamental to landscape. On these plains, where all surrounding trees and shrubs seemed different from those of other countries, the Agrostis virginica of Linnaeus, a gra.s.s common throughout Asia and America, but new to me in Australia, grew near the scrubs. Here also grows a new species of Eleusine, being a very tall nutritious gra.s.s.*

(*Footnote. E. marginata, Lindley ma.n.u.scripts; culmo tereti glabro, foliis glabris, ligula nulla, spicis digitatis strictis, spiculis subs.e.xfloris, palea inferiore carinata mucronata marginata.)

August 24.

Retracing still our former steps, we reached a pond on the Bogan 3 1/2 miles short of our camp of May 12. There I fixed the camp in open ground and near good gra.s.s, with the intention of resting for two days; this repose having become absolutely necessary for the purpose of refres.h.i.+ng our exhausted cattle.

MR. LARMER TRACES DUCK CREEK UP TO THE MACQUARIE.

August 25.

Being near the route of Mr. Hume when he proceeded westward from Mount Harris and crossed two creeks, of which the Bogan was one; I was desirous of ascertaining the source of the other, whose channel he had found intermediate between this river and the Macquarie. Being occupied in completing my plans of the Darling preparatory to my immediate return to the colony, I instructed Mr. Larmer to proceed on a survey of that creek by tracing from our next camp (that of May 12) on a bearing of 102 degrees East of North, until he reached it, and then to follow it up. Mr.

Larmer took with him five men and a week's provisions, also a copy of our recent survey of the Bogan, with Mr. Oxley's Macquarie; and I instructed him to rejoin the main party at Cudduldury, the camp where I calculated we should arrive about the probable time of his return.

A HOT WIND.

August 26.

The morning was calm but about noon a hot wind set in, blowing very strongly from the north-north-west, the thermometer stood at 86 degrees, but by sunset at 80 degrees. I had been sensible of a parching and unseasonable dryness and warmth in the winds from that quarter throughout the winter, while farther in the interior; and it may be inferred from these hot winds blowing so early in the season that the drought and the absence of any humidity in the climate prevailed to a very great extent over the interior regions. This is what I should expect to find in the central parts of Australia, from the nature of that portion which I had seen and the state of the weather throughout the winter. An almost perpetual suns.h.i.+ne had prevailed, dry cirro-c.u.mulus clouds had arisen indeed sometimes, but no point of the earth's surface was of sufficient height to attract them or to arrest their progress in the sky. There seemed neither on the earth nor in the air sufficient humidity to feed a cloud. Dew was very uncommon, the moisture from the one or two slight showers, which did reach the ground, was measured out in this shape upon the vegetation on the mornings immediately succeeding their fall. The hot wind of the Bogan met with no antidote as in Sydney, where the heat of a similar wind is usually moderated towards evening by a strong south-west breeze. On the Bogan the wind was oppressively hot during the night, and lulled only towards morning.

August 27.

Our cattle moved on in the morning, apparently much better for the rest and the gra.s.s on which they had fed here. We reached in good time a small open plain, distant about two miles from our camp of May 11, and halted close by a pond in the bed of the Bogan.

TALAMBE OF THE BOGAN TRIBE.

At this point there were several fires, but the natives had run off on our approach; at sunset however a young man came frankly up to our camp, when we recognised Talambe, one of those who had accompanied the king of the Bogan. We were all very glad to meet with an old acquaintance, even of this kind and colour; and although he could only say budgery, this was something, after the total want of any common terms with the savages we had lately seen; and really the mild tone of voice and very different manner of this native and others of his tribe, who came up next morning, made us feel comparatively at home, although still not very far from Oxley's Tableland.

TOMBS OF MILMERIDIEN.

August 28.

Several natives came up with Talambe in the morning, and they accompanied us on our route. As we pa.s.sed a burial-ground called by them Milmeridien I rode to examine it and, on reaching the spot, these natives became silent and held down their heads. Nor did their curiosity restrain them from pa.s.sing on, although I unfolded my sketch-book which they had not seen before, and remained there half an hour for a purpose of which they could have had no idea. The burying-ground was a fairy-like spot in the midst of a scrub of drooping acacias. It was extensive and laid out in walks which were narrow and smooth, as if intended only for sprites; and they meandered in gracefully curved lines among the heaps of reddish earth which contrasted finely with the acacias and dark casuarinae around. Others gilt with moss shot far into the recesses of the bush, where slight traces of still more ancient graves proved the antiquity of these simple but touching records of humanity. With all our art we could do no more for the dead than these poor savages had done. As we approached Nyngan we crossed a plain on which we killed a kangaroo which afforded a seasonable supply, for our stock of pork was nearly exhausted; and two men were now so ill as to require to be carried in the light covered waggon. We encamped at Nyngan near a large pond of water.

ANOTHER BULLOCK FAILS.

August 29.

One of the bullocks had sunk in the mud while drinking at the pond, and when at length it was drawn out it was so weak as to be unable to stand.

I therefore halted this day in hopes he would recover before next morning.

NATIVES TROUBLESOME.

Our friends the blacks had been rather forward during the night, and throughout this day they lay about my tent pointing to their empty stomachs, and behaving in a contemptuous manner, although we had given them most of our kangaroo. At length I determined to send them off, if this could be done without quarrelling with them. I directed Burnett to take some men with fixed bayonets and march in line towards them. This move answered very well, the natives receded to a distance, perfectly understanding our object; but there sat down, and made their fires. Only two came up next morning, again pointing to their stomachs; but I knew from experience that to feed them was to retain them permanently in our camp and now I did not want them, and had no food to spare.

August 30.

The bullock could not be made to rise and we were after all obliged to leave him. When we proceeded the natives remained behind, of course intending to kill and eat the poor animal.

SUCCESSFUL CHASE OF FOUR KANGAROOS.

This day in crossing a plain I saw, with my gla.s.s, the head of a kangaroo in the gra.s.s at a distance. We ran the dogs towards it, when two got up.

One dog, named Nelson, killed the smallest and threw it over his head, all the while keeping his eye on the other, which he immediately pursued and also killed. He then saw and took after a third, a very large forest kangaroo; and this also he seized and fought with, until Burnett got up to his a.s.sistance. About three miles further a fourth kangaroo was seen and killed by the same dog, so that we obtained abundance of fresh provisions for several days. We encamped in our old position of the 9th of May.

NATIVES OF THE BOGAN COME UP.

In the evening some natives whom we had formerly seen with the king of the Bogan came up with two very timid old men. We gave them some kangaroo, and they behaved very well, retiring to a fire at some distance in order to cook it and pa.s.s the night.

August 31.

We were accompanied in our travels this morning, first by several young natives, and afterwards by a chief who came before us rather ceremoniously, and halted in an open plain, until I went up to him. His costume was rather imposing, consisting of a network which confined his hair into the form of a round cap, having in the front a plume of white, light feathers; a rather short cloak of opossum skins was drawn tightly around his body with one hand, his boomerangs and waddy being grasped fast in the other. (See Plate 21.)

As we crossed the large plain within the bend of the Bogan, and where its course changes from west to near north, our eyes were refreshed with the sight of a crop of green gra.s.s growing in all the hollow parts, some rain having recently fallen there. We encamped on our old ground at Walwadyer.

WATER SCARCE.

September 1.

The natives whom we last met with and had entertained at our camp, with a view to obtain their a.s.sistance in finding water at the end of this day's journey, took to their heels exactly when the carts started this morning; carrying off with them a little native boy, an orphan, whom we had washed, scrubbed, dressed, and carried on a cart, meaning to take him with us to the colony. We proceeded as far as our next camp, called Bugabada, where, finding some water, I halted until I could ascertain the distance to the next pool. For this purpose I sent a party to Cudduldury with directions to meet Mr. Larmer (who had been instructed to rejoin the party at that place this day) and to let him know where we were. They returned at sunset without having either found water or seen Mr. Larmer.

As I knew the Bogan was dry for many miles above Cudduldury I made arrangements for carrying on a supply next day, that we might proceed to some ponds on this river, distant about twenty-five miles. Still it was impossible for the party to reach that point in one day, and the water we could carry would not be enough for our cattle. At nine P.M. however distant thunder was heard, the sky became overcast and several smart showers fell during the night, thus affording most providentially a prospect of dew on the following night, which would refresh the horses and bullocks.

TWO RED-PAINTED NATIVES.

September 2.

Two natives came towards our camp, having hideous countenances and being savagely painted with crimson on the abdomen and right shoulder; the nose and cheek-bones were also gules, and some blazing spots were daubed, like drops of gore, on the brow. The most ferocious-looking wore round his brow the usual band newly whitened. He, like all those more savage natives, had neither a word nor even a smile for us.

UNCERTAINTY OF MR. CUNNINGHAM'S FATE.

The other my men recognised to be Werrajouit, the native who formerly had in his possession the handkerchief which was supposed to have belonged to Mr. Cunningham. I thought that if that gentleman had really been sacrificed, some of these fellows had been guilty of his murder; but we were still uncertain of his fate; and perhaps his life had been saved by some of these very natives whom the men were now much inclined to seize as his destroyers. A gin and child were brought to us that we might give some clothes to the latter, a practice we had foolishly encouraged at the first interviews; so that they almost persecuted me with young children, expecting that they should receive something. This gin had an English haversack, and Burnett, by my orders, examined the contents; but he found nothing likely to have belonged to Mr. Cunningham except a piece of cloth. This search was made after they had disappointed us respecting a waterhole and when the man who had promised to be our guide had decamped.

All the ponds in which we had found water before were dry, nor could we obtain it elsewhere, although Burnett had examined the Bogan to Burdenda.

I knew by the result of our former search for Mr. Cunningham that no water was to be procured down the bed of the river for many miles; and I therefore cut off four miles of this day's route and continued our journey as far as possible, having provided against a night without water by carrying as much in barrels as supplied the whole party, and afforded half a gallon to each of the horses and bullocks. We encamped on a gra.s.sy plain, about five miles on in our journey of the 1st of May.

MR. LARMER OVERTAKES THE PARTY.

September 3.