Part 9 (2/2)
answered signal to come within hail, the Commodore desired ould keep in shore of hiust 3rd Fine weather At 4 PM Bustard Bay bore west-north-west distant 3 or 4and numbers of natives were there Hauled in for the Bay and shoaled our water; came to in 5 fathoms water At sundoered down small boats and waited on the Coator, passed the first rock lying off the western point of Bustard Bay
Wednesday, August 4th At half-past 3 perceived one of the Investigator's boats to be adrift, bore away to pick her up At sundown the western extremes of the land bore west-south-west distant 15 miles At 8 PM
passed the stern of the Commodore who hailed us and told us he would tack every two hours during the night At daylight saw the land bearing south-south-east At noon the northern point of Bustard Bay bore south-south-east distant 4 or 5 leagues
”Thursday, August 5th Kept slipping along the land At half-past 6 PM
having run under the stern of the Coe was 5 or 6 miles from Gatcombe Head and the chain of hills which rises near Bustard Bay was seen to stretch ard behind the shore at the back of Mount Larco more rocky than sandy” Flinders) At quarter past 10 AM the Co, answered ditto Inal ”steer in shore and look out for anchorage” Observing nu in At quarter past 10 AM beheld froe sheet of water with a rocky island in the entrance and seeot shelter ( Port Number 1 in the chart is Port Curtis so naer Curtis) At 11 AM canal to the Commodore ”come no nearer in,” and he came to--lowered down our boat, I went and sounded in shore and found the water to deepen to 8 fathoms
Waited on the Commodore, received orders to follow his boat into the harbour--sent our people to heave up At noon one of the Investigator's boats went on shore to the beach where the natives and their canoes were ( ”There were seven bark canoes lying on the shore and upon a tree near hung parts of a turtle and scoop nets siust 6th At 1 PM hove up and run further into the opening
I then went on shore to a sles and we got some firewood I went in Captain Flinders'
boat across to a h hill ( Called in the chart Hill View) on the opposite side of this streaot to the top and saw that the sheet of water ran into several serpentine branches and that apparently the deepest water was to the south-east of us; and that this south-east entrance and the one in which we lay for in a north-west and south-east line We joined the boat and sounded in a traverse to ascertain whether it was possible for the Lady Nelson to her up We found however only frohout a narrow space through which the vessel must pass In consequence of which Captain Flinders desired h and work round the island to the south-east entrance and to find a channel into the harbour Accordingly weighed, by 7 PM passed the Investigator
At daylight ain the entrance and by 9 AM nearly fetched it, froe of breakers fro away south-east to east-south-east which , however I sent Mr Hacking in the boat to sound and almost immediately we struck on a sandbank Immediately hove up our keels and she luckily veered round in 6 feet of water and went off although we still had no radually deepened into 6 fathoot on board by noon and inforood channel did exist, and from where ere it lay about south-south-east and may be 3/4 of a mile broad--out sweep and sent the boat ahead to tow
”Saturday, August 7th Fine weather Standing into the entrance south-south-west On putting our hel west-north-west, the Investigator on our bea our water suddenly to shoal came to in 2 fatho sand sheet almost dry Tripped our anchor and run into 5 fathoms water and there canal to the Commodore; observed a boat under sail a considerable distance from us in a westerly direction which I fancied was Captain Flinders in his whaleboat exa the harbour At sunrise had out our launch and sent the First Mate in her with an arust 8th After dinner I went in the s on the South shore of the harbour and to look for water of which I found so perceived it branched into several different directions I iine it runs so to the vessel I found Captain Flinders with a midshi+pman and boat's crew on board ( ”The country round Port Curtis is over-spread with grass and produces the Eucalyptus Much of the shores and low islands are overspread with Mangroves--the le of Linn” Flinders) At daylight Captain Flinders left us desiring et round to the Investigator In working doe sounded constantly and found from 10 to 4 fathoms on each side, a safe channel for any shi+p and sufficiently broad to work in
”Monday, August 9th At 3 PM got under weigh andoccasionally At 4 PM our boat ca found water in small quantities By 6 PM eathered the south-east point of Faceing Island and stood doards the Investigator At 15 past 7 PM struck on some sunken reef of rocks about 2up all our keels she went over theust 22nd
Half of the one) At half-past 8 PM
fired a gun and hoisted a light at the ht caths froht hoisted in our boat, on the Coh, we did the same At half-past 9 AM
passed in between the Rocky Island and Cape Capricorn At half-past 10 Captain Flinders hailed us and told us to try for a passage in between some rocks and the main of Keppel's Bay At 50 round ahead in this passage, hauled out and informed the Commodore At noon bore up for the western part of the Bay, Cape Capricorn bearing east by south distance 10 or 11 ust 10th At half-past 3 PM caator, lowered our boat and I waited on Captain Flinders At half-past 4 PM Captain Flinders, so one of the highest hills, ( Named by Flinders Sea Hill) we perceived the bay to be very extensive with several openings
Here we found a fresh water swamp and saw some ducks and redbills At sundown Captain Flinders and party returned on board, and Captain Flinders cahed and e island in the mouth of the bay North distance 7 or 8 ust 11th Saw Captain Flinders co the south shore of the bay
”Thursday, August 12th At 3 PM Conal ”I want to speak to you” Ih and by half-past 4 PM passed his stern when he hailed us to come to an anchor a little distance froht I was to get under weigh and proceed to a large island (
Hummocky Island) (one of Keppels) and overhaul it for turtle for the use of both vessels and to get the bearings of all the islands in sight from the top of the said island as also to find whether there ood and water upon the island When we anchored Outerust 13th At 1 PM I went on shore to the island, on exa the beaches and rocks no water was found I ascended all the hills and walked froth of the island but found no water or wood The hills are covered with thick shrubbery and grass and full of stones, fro towards the sea no oing down to the rocks that lead to the beach we fell in with soht drains of fresh water and further discovered two chasallons of water but the difficulty of getting it to a boat hinders it being of use to vessels On the west side is a sht with a sandy beach in its centre but the botto into it, indeed anchorage all round it is indifferent
”Saturday, August 14th By 4 PM having run nearly into our anchorage by the Investigator came to in 5 fathoms water Lieutenant Fowler came on board and informedthe harbour
”Sunday, August 15th Fine weather throughout Received orders to be ready to get under weigh at daylight to-ust 16th At sundown observed all the sea along the beach accompanied by a number of natives Ientle with an to run; however on all the seah to reach theht-caps and a tomahawk ( ”I offered a boat to the botanists to visit South Hill A part of the shi+p's Company was allowed on shore for no Indians had been seen, but towards evening about 20 were seen with the sailors They had been met near Cape Keppel and at firstthem friendly laid aside their arone They began running and were soon out of sight These natives are a much stouter class of people than any I have yet seen (those of Jarvis Bay excepted) On returning to the beach Mr
Evans, ator were entle and then went on board and a boat with a midshi+pman was immediately sent to wait at the beach but as neither appeared the boat returned In the nals and o boats go to shore we supposed to search for those ust 17th Seventeen of the natives ca theator went on shore I also went ( Captain Flinders took a boat to Cape Keppel in order to obtain bearings) We continued on friendly ter that they having met Mr Evans and the one seaave theer We had a dru and beating they signified their displeasure and so returned We ive nothing in return
Their spears and waddas arestick At daylight weighed Ca A sketch of the island and of Cape Keppel wasout of the bay ”After the rove the most common trees round Keppel Bay are the eucalyptus and a species of Cycas bearing poisonous nuts There are Kangaroos in the woods and several bustards were seen near Cape Keppel About the native fireplaces were the shells of crabs, the bones of turtle and reust 18th At 1 PM hove up in the coator tacked occasionally By 4 PM cleared the bay and at 5 PM
fell cal south-east by east 13 or 14 miles, Cape Keppel south-south-east distant 5 or 6 e inhabited island, one of Keppel's, north-north-west distant 6 or 7 ain in company with Commodore made all sail By noon passed abreast the northernhest part of it bellowing to us, no canoes in sight Latitude 23 degrees 4 ust 19th Fine weather Answered signal ”Steer in shore and look out for anchorage” a bluff headwith the low land of the main like an entrance As we stood in shoaled our water to 7 fathonal to that purport Saw a sand shoal ahead; the Investigator immediately hauled off and we did the sae was there, stood in and by 5 PM we dropped our kedge, at half-past 5 PM
the Commodore also came to near us At sundown the easternmost of Keppel's Islands bore south-east by east distant 10 or 12 hed in coust 20th At sundown the Coar Loaf Island north-north-east 1/2 east distant 4 miles, and two rocky islands north-east by east distant about 3 ht in the north-west quarter and heard a gun fired Iallant un At 12 passed a low island bearing east distant 3/4 of a ht perceived ere ave Corees 41 minutes 28 seconds south