Volume I Part 12 (1/2)
Procuring the necessary observations completed the duties of the day; but, alas! the sleep all could have enjoyed so much after our work, was rendered impossible by the swarms of mosquitoes, who at sunset relieved those of their tribe upon who attack upon us: all devices to escape them were tried in vain, and some of the men were really half ht o'clock, when all patience seeht flashes of lightning announced the expected and much desired squall It served to bloay some of our persecutors; but our rest was of very short duration, and I was at length compelled to order the people to take to the boats, fairly driven from the shore by our diminutive but invincible assailants The tide set past the boats at the rate of four knots per hour, and it fell 33 feet, being 6 feet more than we had as yet found it The only rock seen here was a block, visible at loater; it was a conglomerate, and the most southerly formation of the kind we met with
THE FLOOD-TIDE
February 26
The daylight found us all anxiously speculating upon the probable results to be accomplished before the darkness onceperfectly calm, ere compelled to wait till the flood-tide made: this soon took us past an island fourbefore, and which now proved to be a narrow strip, covered with the never-failingtwo s two miles south of it We passed them at noon, and saw the land to the ard, our position being then 20 miles south of Point Tor the passage to less than a fathom (loater); but the tide hereat inlet (the left shore of which gradually trending to the eastward, here approached to within six miles of the opposite coast) still hurried us on with a rapidity agreeable enough but not quite free froe river If our exultation had been great in the , when such success as this was only half anticipated, as it at that exciting ive us the triumph of such a discovery as thatfairly anticipated, seerasp? I cannot answer for others, but for ht Doubt, disappointotten in the one proud thought that for us was reserved an enterprise the ultiht in soreat portion of the world! Presently, as if to recall to their routine of duty, these upward-springing thoughts, the boats were found to be rapidly carried by the streaht across the opening towards which all eyes had been turned with soand whirling with great force To atte, therefore, to be done but patiently await the rising of the tide
ESCAPE POINT
The nearest land, aSouth-South-East one rateful memory of the providential escapes we experienced in its vicinity Where the boats were anchored we had nearly five feet at loater, and the tide ran past theain started, in a south by west direction, and proceeded for about five miles, when the boats were anchored, near the western shore, which we proposed to visit at loater From the yawl's masthead I traced the shore all round, except to the south-east, where I could see an opening about a htly elevated, perhaps to 70 feet, and clothed with rather large trees, while to the eastward the land appeared very low As the tide ebbed, we found, to our disappointment and mortification, that the flat over which we reckoned to secure a passage to theonly 18 feet) while from its soft and treacherous character, it was impossible to cross it on foot
MOUTH OF THE FITZROY
All doubt about our being in thethe last of the ebb, the water was nearly fresh
This discovery was hailed by us all with a pleasure which persons only faland cannot fully comprehend
Our success afforded rateful recollection of his personal kindness; and I determined, with Captain Wickham's permission, to call this new river after his na, by the most durable of monuments, the services and the career of one, in who of the searaces of the Christian--of whose caler, or whose habitual carefulness for the interests of all under his command, if I forbear to speak, I anise their existence, and perceive how much they exalt the character they adorn, I feel, too, that they have elevated it above, either the need, or the reach of any eulogy within my power to offer!
I felt pretty confident that the first rush of the tide upon its reflux would be violent, and had ly In the first watch these anticipations were realized, and I was roused fronized to be the voice of thunder, heralding the advancing tide
TIDE-BORE
The night was pitch dark, and though I instinctively turned , but as each anxious moment passed away, the fearful voice of the waters sounded nearer and nearer, and within less time than I have occupied in the narration, the full force of the rush of tide co our anchor aith it, was upon us The cable thus slackened, the yawl sheered, and was thrown violently upon her broadside in the midst of it, and had it not been for the shores lashed to each mast, she must inevitably have capsized The whaleboat fared better; being lighter she was the sooner afloat, and besides her buoyant boas the better able to receive and resist the shock When the tide slacked we returned to the deep water off Escape Point, and spent the reht in quiet, I would fain hope, so far as most of us were concerned, not without a thankful remembrance of Him, whose merciful providence had been so recently manifested in our behalf!
ASCENT OF THE FITZROY
February 27
Leaving Mr Tarrant in charge of the yawl, I proceeded with Mr Helpainst the last of the ebb tide, and with the therrees, we contrived to reach a spot two miles beyond Point Escape before noon From Point Escape upwards, there appeared to be, at loater, no regular channel; the bed of the river assumed the aspect of an extensive flat of mud, intersected with sns of hu its banks, which divided by nu rove, stretched away in level and drear monotony, only broken towards the west by land of inconsiderable elevation The circling flight of the ever-wary curlew, and the shrill cry of the plover, now first disturbed in their accustomed territory, alone vouched for the presence of anihtened, rather than re the further ascent alether impracticable at the present state of the tide, I ordered the boat back to Point Escape, and landed, acco to return on foot
PERILOUS SITUATION
The shore was a soft enial soil: while our journey every now and then, arrested by the intervention of one or other of the numerous little creeks of which I have before spoken, pro, if not inally conte their banks for a short distance fro creeks, but as the tide rose, they filled and widened in proportion, and each htened by the untoward discovery that William Ask, the seaman who had accompanied us, was unable to swim!
Ti waters had flooded the whole of the low land which formed this bank of the river, so that ere coes of the creeks in our route, over each of which Mr Helpman and myself had alternately to swi the best jued ashore on the opposite side At length we reached a creek, the breadth of which rendered this er practicable, and ere co fortunately very near the point where I had directed the boat tobut pleasant, the water being already above our knees, and the tide having still several hours to rise; while the rove trees by which ere surrounded, were all too slender to afford the least support
In this state of affairs, leaving Mr Helpman with Ask--who had secured a piece of drift tie of the shore, only to find that the boat, unable to stem the current, had anchored soht have reached her by swi; but even could I have easily reconciled myself to part with our arms and instruments, at any rate to abandon poor Ask in the dileht of By repeated discharges ofthe attention of the boat's creho made an immediate and desperate effort to coth lasted they just contrived to hold their own against the tide, then, drifting astern, were again compelled to anchor The attele was followed by just as fruitless a result: the force of the stream was clearlybank precluded any atte the shore
Most anxiously did I watch the water as it changed its upward level al in doubt whether it would rise above our heads, ere it afforded a sufficient depth to carry the boat over the intervening bank, and bring us the only assistance that would afford a chance for our lives I breathed a short, but most fervent prayer to Him, in whose hands are the issues of life and death, and turned back to cheer my comrades with the chance of rescue
AND PROVIDENTIAL ESCAPE
Nor shall I ever forget the expression of thankfulness and gratitude which lit up the face of poor Ask, as the whispers of hope were confirh the alroves, just as the water had topped our shoulders; and, therefore, barely in time to confirm upon this locality its former title of Point Escape!
We now pulled down to this last-named point, and waited for the tide to fall, in order to obtain the necessary observations for deter its position: those for latitude, taken in the early part of the night, gave a result (worked on the spot) of 17 degrees 24 1/2an increase in latitude of 35now but two days' provisions re the survey of the western shore, south of Valentine Island, and then to return and report our discovery, knowing that Captain Wickham would do all in his power to prosecute it to the utmost
RETURN TO THE shi+P
March 3
These plans were accordingly carried into effect, and we returned to the shi+p on theof the 3rd of March We found all well on board, with the exception of poor Mr Usborne, ere delighted to see so far recovered One sentiment of satisfaction pervaded the whole shi+p's company, when informed of our success; and, as I had anticipated, Captain Wickha our new discovery in lighter boats, first placing the shi+p as near thethe squall, on the first night of our absence, the shi+p parted her cable, and was nearly on the rocks
Our sports our absence, having shot a great number of quail; they had seen two e had obtained several speciured by Mr Gould in his Birds of Australia A few natives had also been seen, but they were too wary to permit any intercourse with them