Part 31 (1/2)
There was a great deal of the poison-plant all over this country, not the Gyroste plant of the Gastrolobium family; and I was always in a state of anxiety for fear the camels should eat any of it The shepherds in this Colony, whose flocks are generally not larger than 500, are supposed to know every individual poison-plant on their beat, and to keep their sheep off it; but with us, it was all chance work, for we couldn't tie the caht, and we could not control them in what they should eat Our next friends were a brother of the McPherson at Glentromie and his wife
The naraph station at this place Both here and at Berkshi+re Valley Mrs McPherson and Miss Clinche are the operators Next to this, we reached Mr Cook's station, called Arrino, where Mrs Cook is telegraph mistress Mr
Cook we had met at New Norcia, on his way down to Perth We had lunch at Arrino, and Mrs Cook gave me a sheep I had, however, taken it out of one of their flocks the night before, as we camped with some black shepherds and shepherdesses, ere very pleased to see the camels, and called theave the, two Government surveyors, at whose camp we rested a day The heat was excessive, the therrees in the shade The following day we reached a far to Mr Goodhere we had a drink of beer all round That evening we reached an establishment called Irwin House, on the Irwin River, foress, as in partnershi+p there with Squire Phillips Mr
Burgess having gone to England, the property was leased to Mr Fane, where we again hters, e had firstproperty Froarra, a town-site also on the Irwin On reaching this river, we found ourselves in one of the principal agricultural districts of Western Australia, and at Dongarra ere entlemen of the district, and an address was presented toDongarra, ere entertained at his house by Mr Bell; and here weIrish descent, with fine white eyes and a thick shock head, of red hair; he gazed intently both at us and the caht the more uncouth of the two kinds of beasts At last he found sufficient English to say, ”Do deoo faar in a deayah, ehah?” When he sat down to dinner with us, he put his mutton chop on his hand, which he rested on his plate The latter seemed to be quite an unknown article of furniture to him, and yet I was told his father was very well to do
The next town-site we reached was the Greenough--pronounced Greenuff--Flats, being in another very excellent agricultural district; here another address was presented to reat numbers of people ca doith their loads on previous to being let go Often, when strangers would come too near, some of the more ti on their guard, would often have torn faces and bleeding noses before they could get out of the way On this occasion a tall, gauntcas, one on each side To todown Any how, Toman?” he replied, ”Oh, that's hee's pickaninnies”--sex having no hlander's Then the tall man said to the wife, ”Oh, lord, look yer, see how they carries their young” Only the pup's heads appeared, a string round the neck keeping thes too, don't they?” With that he put his huge face down, so as to gaze , who had been teased a good deal and had got snappish, gave a growl and snapped at his nose The secret was out; with a withering glance at Tom
All the riding cae camels were passionately fond of bread I always put a piece under the flap of , she would come and lie down by it, and root about till she found it Lots of the people, especially boys and children,to see the camels was quite a holiday affair, and whenever they incautiously began to eat in the camp, half a dozen ca old cae beast, whose huh up in the air, and pretending not to notice anything of the kind, would sidle slowly up towards any people ere eating, and swooping his long neck doith his soft tumid lips would take the food out of their mouths or hands--to their utter astonishment and dismay
Another source of amusement with us hen any man wanted to have a ride, ays put him on Peter Nicholls's camel, then he was led for a certain distance froht? He was sure to say, ”Yes” ”Well, then, take the reins,” ould say; and so soon as the caallop back to the camp; in nine cases out of ten the rider fell off, and those who didn't never wished to get on any h the settled districts, I took care that no accidents should happen, and always gave theiven in the evening (I should surely be forgetting myself were I to omit to h, who took us to his house, gave us a lunch, and literally flooded us with chane) We were now only a short distance fro called Geraldton; it was the 16th February e reached it Outside the toere entlemen on horseback, and were escorted into it by them
On arrival ere invited to a lunch Cha centre of what is, for Western Australia, a large agricultural and pastoral district It is theplace I have seen on this side of the continent It is situated upon the western coast of Australia, in latitude 28 degrees 40' and longitude 114 degrees 42' 30”, lying about north-north-west froh to reach it by land more than 300 hbourhood of Geraldton for the arrival of the English and Colonial entleman from Melbourne, as contractor for the first line of railway, from Champion Bay to Northampton, ever undertaken in Western Australia
While we delayed here, Mr Tietkens's fine young riding bull got poisoned, and though we did everything we possibly could for him, he first went cranky, and subsequently died I was very rieved; he was such a splendid hack, and so quiet and kind; I greatly deplored his loss The only substance I could find that he had eaten was Gyroste Mr Pal on the Bowes Creek, and belonging to Mr Thoess, whose father entertained us so well at Tipperary, near York Mr Burgess and his wife htful place, and so hoess being the last white lady I ess had another station called Yuin, about 115 miles easterly from here, and where his nephews, the two Messrs Wittenoo north-east by north called Cheangwa On the fifth day from the Boe reached Yuin The country was in a very dry state All the stock had been rerass existed in abundance At Yuin Mr Burgess had just coest wool-shed in the Colony The waters on the station consist of shalloells and springs all over it It is situated up the Greenough River
Before reaching Cheangwa I met the elder of the two Wittenooer brother was expected back froone to look for new pastoral runs When he returned, he told us he had not only been very successful in that way, but had succeeded in capturing a native desperado, against whom a warrant was out, and who had robbed some shepherds' huts, and speared, if not killed, a shepherd in their eside of his horse, intending to take hiistrate there But O, teht, when apparently chained fast to a verandah post, the fellow ed to slip out of his shackles, quietly walked away, and left his fetters behind him, to the unbounded s, and though he did not say ht the more This escape occurred at Yuin, to which place I had returned with Mr E Wittenooess
When ere all conversing in the house, and discussing some excellent sauterne, the opportunity for his successful atteh the good offices of a confederate friend, a civilised young black felloho pretended he wanted his hair cut, and got a pair of sheep shears fro the day for that apparent purpose, saying that the captive would cut it for hiht the captive or his friend used them to prise open a split link of the chain which secured him, and away he went as free as a bird in the air
I had Mr Burgess's and Mr Wittenoowa, and on arrival there ed for a finalcalled Pia, at the far northern end of Mr Wittenooreat nuwa: this is always the case at all frontier stations, in the Australian squatting bush Soly pretty; theyoungsters The young ladies were exceedingly talkative; they called the camels eirls declared their intention of co with us There were Annies, and Lizzies, Lauras, and Kittys, and Judys, by the dozen One interesting young person in undress uniform came up to me and said, ”This is Judy, I am Judy; you Melbourne walk? ht, ib wa a nuh we outpaced the to hunt on the way, they found their way to the camp after us By some of the th, called Cooerwa As the day was very wared pro, and splashi+ng about in all directions It ht be said that:--
”By yonthe beholder, rises o'er the blue; But a , With a azer's view”
The day after we crossed the dry channel of what is called the River Sandford, and at two or three miles beyond it, ere shown another water called Moodilah, six ht's encairls that we did not travel very rapidly over this part of the continent Moodilah lay a little to the east of north frorees west frorees 11' 8” On Saturday, the 8th of April, ent nearly north to Pia Spring, where the following day we ess and Wittenoo in canvas water-buckets, and we had an excellent lunch The girls still reht have stayed to ”sit with these dark Orianas in groves by thesea”
On Sunday, the 9th of April, we all re; its position is in latitude 27 degrees 7'
and longitude 116 degrees 30' The days were still very hot, and as the country produced no us with tarpaulins to enable us to rest in corees Pia is a sreat supply of water, but sees from below From here Mount Murchison, near the eastern bank of the River Murchison, bore north 73 degrees east, twenty-three or twenty-four rees west, eight miles
(ILlustRATION: FAREWELL TO WESTERN AUSTRALIA)
The country belonging to Mr Burgess and the Messrs Wittenoom Brothers appeared to me the best and most extensive pastoral property I had seen in Western Australia Water is obtained in wells and springs all over the country, at a depth of four or five feet; there are, besides,pools of rain-water on the runs Mr
Burgess told me of a water-hole in a creek, called Natta, nine or ten o next On Monday, the 10th of April, we bade farewell to our two kind friends, the last white ne, and parted
CHAPTER 52 FROM 10TH APRIL TO 7TH MAY, 1876
The natives continue with us
Natta water-hole
Myriads of flies
Alec returns to Cheangwa
Bashful Tommy
Cowra ranite mounds
Loads carried by women
Laura and Tommy
”Cowra” ree
Flooded grassy flat
Clianthus or desert pea
Natives shoater
New acquaintances
Tell-tale fat