Volume I Part 31 (2/2)

On the morning of the 9th however, when the party were all ready to start, these natives were not forthcoming. The length of the journey and the danger of falling in with hostile tribes had frightened them, and they therefore kept themselves aloof from us; but Kaiber, one of the most intelligent natives of these parts, volunteered to supply their place.

Our three horses were soon swum across the estuary of the Swan; and with no slight anxiety I started on an expedition upon the proper conduct of which would probably depend the lives of three of my fellow-creatures.

ROUTE TO THE MURRAY.

Our proceedings until we had reached Pinjarra on the banks of the Murray offer little or no interesting matter; I shall therefore pa.s.s them over in silence. We arrived in Pinjarra on the morning of the 11th, having been somewhat delayed by the weakness of a young horse; as there was however no possibility of obtaining another in its place I was obliged to take it on with us. On the afternoon of the 11th we made little more than four miles in a southerly direction along the banks of the Murray.

THE MURRAY RIVER.

On the 12th we started before dawn and travelled about eight miles in a south by east direction; we then halted for breakfast on the banks of the same river, which here issues out of the Darling Range after having found a pa.s.sage through that chain of mountains. Whilst breakfast was preparing I walked up into the mouth of the gorge, which was replete with most wild and beautiful scenery at this point. The river comes streaming out from a rocky mountain pa.s.s, forming in its course a series of small cataracts.

The vale in which it runs offers an interesting specimen of woodland scenery, and the high, bold, and partially bare granite mountains which rear their heads above it differ much in character from the tame mountain scenery that lies between Perth and York: this place is a favourite resort of the wild cattle, and we saw everywhere numerous recent traces of them.

WILD CATTLE.

In the afternoon we again started in a south by east direction. About a mile after leaving the Murray we came suddenly upon four head of wild cattle; two, which were distant from us, made off to the mountains, but a n.o.ble white bull and a cow followed a line lying exactly in the course we were pursuing. As we had one saddle-horse, which I was then on, I could not resist having a gallop after them. I soon brought the bull to bay, but when he had taken breath he turned and made off again and, as I had no time to spare, I gave him no further interruption; on however wis.h.i.+ng to ascertain the hour I found that my watch had fallen from my pocket during the course of the gallop.

NATIVE TRACKING.

I now waited until the party came up, when I requested Kaiber the native to walk back and find the watch. This he a.s.sured me was utterly impossible, and I really at the time agreed in this opinion; however as it was a watch I much valued I determined to make one effort. ”Well, Kaiber,” I said to him, ”your people had told me you could see tracks well, but I find they are mistaken; you have but one eye, something is the matter with the other (this was really the case) no young woman will take you, for if you cannot follow my tracks and find a watch I have just dropped how can you kill game for her.” This speech had the desired effect, and the promise of a s.h.i.+lling heightened his diligence, and I returned with him. The ground we had pa.s.sed over was badly suited for the purpose of tracking and the scrub was thick; nevertheless, to my delight and surprise, within the period of half an hour my watch was restored to my pocket. This feat of Kaiber's surpa.s.sed anything of the sort I had previously seen performed by the natives.

We completed about eight miles and then halted for the night on the banks of a running stream issuing from a gorge in the hills. There was a considerable portion of good land in its neighbourhood and the horses appeared not a little pleased with the excellence of the feed.

The 13th we spent in pa.s.sing a portion of the Darling Range. After travelling for eleven miles over a hilly country we came upon a beautiful valley between two steep and high hills. Two streams poured down into this valley and there formed a small freshwater lake. The scenery here was so green and verdant, the tranquil little lake was so covered with broad-leaved waterlilies, and the whole wore such an air of highland mountain scenery that I could readily have imagined I was once more in Scotland. About this lake there was also much good feed.

CROSS THE DARLING RANGE.

In the course of the afternoon we travelled eight miles further in an easterly direction, and were then obliged to halt without water, which we did not again succeed in finding after we left the lake.

TO THE HOTHAM RIVER.

On the morning of the 14th we had only travelled six miles in a due easterly direction when I found we had crossed the Darling Range; our course now lay along a level fertile plain, well fitted for pastoral purposes. We travelled across this a distance of about five miles when we came upon the river Bannister, which here was nothing but a series of large pools with good feed for cattle about them. We halted for breakfast and afterwards continued in an easterly direction, when, after travelling for another six miles, we reached the Hotham. The land we pa.s.sed over between the Bannister and Hotham was equal in goodness to any I have seen in Western Australia.

The circ.u.mstance of both water and feed abounding at the Hotham induced me to halt here for the night, and on the morning of the 15th we commenced our toilsome march from the Hotham to the Williams; the distance is about twenty-eight miles in a direct line; the country consisting of rocky hills, difficult to cross; and throughout the whole of this distance we could find no water: we were thus for eleven hours exposed to the sun in one of the hottest days I have ever felt, and we were not a little glad when just at sunset we found ourselves on the banks of the Williams.

CONDITION OF DISTANT SETTLERS.

We here found the establishment of an out-settler, of which it would be difficult to convey an adequate idea: the house consisted of a few upright poles, one end of each resting on the ground, whilst the other met a transverse pole, to which they were tied; cross-poles then ran along these, and to complete the building a sort of rude thatch was tied on it. It was open at both ends and exposed to the land wind, which, as the situation was high, I found a very unpleasant visitor during the night. Here we found a very large flock of sheep in fair condition, also a well-supplied stockyard, and cattle in beautiful order; upwards of twenty kangaroo dogs completed the establishment.

These settlers were, at the time I visited the Williams, four in number; consisting of one young man, two youths, and a little boy. Four soldiers were quartered about sixteen miles from them, and there was no other European within fifty miles of the spot. The distance they had to send for all stores and necessaries was one hundred and twenty miles, and this through a country untraversed by roads and where they were exposed to the hostility of the natives in the event of any ill-feeling arising on their part.

Nothing can give a more lively notion of the difficulties and privations undergone by first settlers than the fact that, when I left this hut, they had no flour, tea, sugar, meat, or any provision whatever except their livestock and the milk of the cattle, their sole dependence for any other article of food being the kangaroo dogs, and the only thing I was able to do in order to better their situation was to leave them some shot.

All other circ.u.mstances connected with their position were on the same scale. They had but one knife, an old clasp one; there was but one small bed for one person, the others sleeping on the ground every night, with little or no covering; they had no soap to wash themselves or their clothes, yet they submitted cheerfully to all these privations, considering them as necessary attendants upon their situation. Two of these out-settlers were gentlemen, not only by birth but also in thought and manner, and, to tell the truth, I believe they were far happier than many an idle young man I have seen lounging about in England, a burden to himself and his friends; for it must be borne in mind that they were realizing a future independence for themselves.

THEIR PRIVATIONS.

Many of the ills and privations which they endured were however unnecessary, and were entailed upon them by the mistaken system that has been pursued at Swan River of spreading to the utmost their limited population. I trust however that a wiser line of policy will now be pursued, and that settling will consequently become an easier, less dangerous, and far more agreeable task.

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