Volume I Part 14 (1/2)
Having deterer branch of the Fitzroy, we continued on our course, and found that beyond this point the river again widened to nearly 200 yards; but that a chain of s fro further This obstacle was, however, overco upwards another ht us into another still and deep, about 100 yards wide, and bounded by high grassy banks Through this we pursued our way right olden anticipation that the Fitzroy would yet convey our boats some distance into the interior of that vast and unknown continent, with the present condition and future destiny of which our thoughts were so often busy
IMPEDIMENTS IN THE RIVER
Scarcely, however, had we led a a cluster of small islets, and sunken trees, which almost wholly choked up the channel The river thus pent up, ran through the sreat velocity; while above, it had again assumed the deep still character which I have before had occasion to describe
We had partly overco up the atte the evident risks too great to justify further perseverance We therefore gave up the exploration of the Fitzroy, in latitude 17 degrees 44traced its course for 22penetrated 90 miles from the coastline, towards the centre of Australia, from which ere still distant 600 miles My view from the treetop extended about four miles beyond the furthest point we had reached on the river, it had been our good fortune to add to the geography of Australia
Its banks here were 20 feet high, and covered with grass; partially broken or washed down, they disclosed to view a rich alluvial soil, nearly two feet deep
The trees we foundour expedition into this portion of the new lands of Australia, consisted chiefly of two species of palm, and three of the eucalypti, stunted banksia, acacia, and the singular tree beforeto the land, and were chiefly black and white cockatoos, and a variety of finches We neither saw nor caught any fish, and the absence of waterfowl led us to suppose they were scarce
RETURN OF THE BOATS
All the excite the Fitzroy thus far, now left us, and our return was comparatively tedious and ed to reach our last night's bivouac by dark; and towards the close of the next day we got as far down as the outer grassy islet in the entrance of the river The night was storether kept away the mosquitoes, and enabled us to obtain a little e in the weather was sudden Hitherto we had been singularly fortunate, each succeeding night, and returning , in cleanness and beauty, only a repetition of its predecessor
March 13
The ured by the least trace of the dark clouds that had so lately overspread it The tide fortunately favoured ourEscape Point, so narateful remembrance of the providential escape a sator slide his unwieldy carcass fro, into one of the creeks we had so rateful that even the existence of these monster reptiles in this river was then unknown to us, as the bare thought of a visit from one of them would have added to the unpleasantness of our position, while the actual presence of so wholesale a gastronoiven another and less auspicious name to Escape Point
A creek, ten ht, which was again wet and squally
March 14
At daybreak the blue vault above was still disfigured by dark inky blotches of clouds We reached the shi+p before breakfast, and found that Mr Help on the north-east side of Point Tor ten miles in a south-easterly direction, with a width of the saroves, through which the tide found its way, inundating h-water
STOKES'S BAY
In the north and south corners of the depths of this bay they found an inlet, each being about three es, al to the North-West, and separated by channels froreater portion of this extensive bay, which Captain Wickham, out of compliment, named after myself
Point Torment afforded a very fair field for the exertions of our collectors in Natural History Without wishi+ng to bore
AN OFFICER ENTANGLED IN MANGROVES
One of the officers on a shooting excursion lost his way and got entangled in abecarees and without water; fatigue hastened by thirst, at length quite knocked up round In vain did he seek for a little rest, for no sooner was he quiet than swarain on his legs; unwelcoenerally are, they were probably in this case the oaded on by their unceasing attacks, to exertions otherwise out of the question, he eventually reached assistance, and was brought on board in a most helpless condition
The tide here o hours later than at Foul Point: the greatest rise noticed in the shi+p was thirty feet, which was seven feet less than we had found it in the yawl
We had several heavy squalls fro the early part of the night, with rain and thunder
March 15
The ht breeze froether evident sye in the weather The survey of the south-eastern portion of the sound being now coh rocky land lying north 20four miles North-West from that point, in fros afterwards varied from nine to eleven fathoms with a soft, muddy sand bottom We anchored in seven fathoms loater, one mile and a half South-South-West fro 16 miles north from Point Torment and three from the rocky shore behind them; a sandbank, dry at loater, extended from these islets to within half a mile of the shi+p
CHANGE OF LANDSCAPE
Our eyes were now relieved by a pleasing change of landscape; the land had wholly changed in character frorown so weary It no longer stretched away in an illi abruptly frohest part of this range (afterwards named Compass Hill) bore North by West distant four and a quarter ly anxious to visit this new land; but the weather, strange to say, put our patience to a trial of four days, during which it equalled in severity any we had experienced under Swan Point It co in the east, which were soon followed by a fresh breeze fro as it ca hardest between West-South-West and West-North-West The baro out of order ere unable to observe how this unusual change would have affected that instrurees, an alteration of temperature which, combined with the dampness of the atmosphere, exposed us to the novel sensation of cold We noticed the tih-water was about fifteen minutes earlier than at Point Tor East-South-East and the ebb west The former at a rate of two miles, and the latter one th the wished for change arrived, and we again beheld this er to commence our exploration, and Mr Usborne, ever anxious to be actively eeon, though reluctantly, to allow hily despatched to look for a berth for the shi+p further to the North-West, while Captain Wickham and myself went towards Co our excursion, was fortunate enough to add several rare birds to his collection