Volume II Part 7 (1/2)
After a long rest, ere enabled tothe south bank of the river, followed by one of the native dogs, that differed only fro rather larger
EMU PLAINS
Two ht us into a fine open plain, over which two e best pace; we therefore named it in their honour: while the valley to the southas christened after the Beagle, and the ranges on either side bore the names of her former and present commander: those to the north-east and south-ere called, after the officers who accoes The soil on E the boat, and was lightly and picturesquely ti our sleeping berth for the night, to avoid a surprise during the dark; we therefore selected a friendly hollow beneath the steh to conceal the whole party, near the centre of a great patch of pebbles, with the river, on one side, within a hundred yards of us, and on the other, distant about three hundred
Those who are practically conversant with such positions as this, will readily call to htly approach was afforded by the loose pebbles that surrounded us, upon which not even the unshod foot of a native could fall without sonoise as would serve to put the watch with his ear to the ground upon the qui vive: this was proved to be the case during the night, e distinctly heard the footsteps of the prowling savages We had no squall, and except this interruption, the howling of native dogs, and the shrill peculiar whistle of a flock of va backwards and forwards over our heads, we slept in peace in our comfortable little retreat
UPWARD COURSE OF THE VICTORIA
Our last regretful view of this part of the Victoria--for every member of our little band seemed to feel an equal interest in the subject--was taken froitude 130 degrees 52 minutes East; 140 miles distant from the sea: but still 500 miles from the centre of Australia Its apparent direction continued ly from the southward--the very line to the heart of this vast land, whose unknown interior has afforded so enious speculation, and which at one time I had hoped, that it was reserved for us to do yet h fro farewell, the nearest reach of water was itself invisible, yet far, far away I could perceive the green and glistening valleys through which it wandered, or rather a verdure of which assured ly as actual observation could have done, of the constant presence of a large body of water; and left an indelible impression upon my mind, which subsequent consideration has only served to deepen, that the Victoria will afford a certain pathway far into the centre of that country, of which it is one of the largest known rivers
When I had at length ress along the banks of the Victoria must be abandoned, I left the spot of our temporary encampment, and proceeded alone a short distance in the direction of the interior; as though partly to atone, by that single and solitary walk towards the object of rievous disappoint co, even by this short distance, to precedework of discovery--to tread alone the solitary glades upon which, till now, no native of the civilized West had set his foot--and to muse in solemn and unbroken silence upon the ultimate results of the work to which the last few days had been devoted--to ression of civilization and christianity--and to breathe forth, unwitnessed and uninterrupted, the scarce coherent words of thankful adoration for the providential care which had hitherto sustained and directed us
RETURN HOMEWARDS
November 12
I found our invalid soa shortWe reached Tortoise Reach by 8 o'clock AM where we passed the day During our aroo It was a fe one in its pouch It is worthy of re ones of different ages, which afforded Mr Bynoe theobservations on the ht forth, which will be found further on in the part of the work relating to Hout at a satisfactory result
Mr Bynoe added here to his collection of birds, to which also, I was so fortunate as to be able to contribute a beautiful specilossy ibis, cohly h there was scarcely a ripple, and notwithstanding my oant of success under these unpropitious circumstances, I feel perfectly satisfied that with proper tackle, and on a favourable day, this prince of sports ht be enjoyed on the Victoria
WICKHAM HEIGHTS
I availed myself of the opportunity of our halt at this place to wash my only suit, piece by piece, and afterwards hts from the dry flat in the reach The woodcut annexed will convey at once to the reader, those singular features in the hills--the low line of cliffs rese fortifications near their summit, and, still more remarkable, the horizontal black streaks near their base
NEW TORTOISE
We here found the back-shell of one of the largest of the water-tortoises, from which the reach was named It measured ten inches, was very narrow at the fore part, where the continuous line of the in was broken by an arch where the head protrudes, and was reatly the Chelidona oblonga, inhabiting Western Australia, with the exception of the arch and its more oval shape; and as in that kind, the last vertebral plate was divided by a suture A shell of a Victoria River tortoise has been deposited in the British Museum We here noticedthem a small buccinum; beside mussels At a native fireplace I saw heaps of the latter, as well as the bones of young alligators; portions of the jaith teeth were picked up
The terees in the shade A light breeze fro calot a peep at the eastern side of a valley, before noticed, in the direction of our route back, and felt convinced that by crossing it we should avoid Thirsty Flat, and shorten the route to the boats
LUCKY VALLEY
Nove fully realized all , for by 8 o'clock AM we reached the dining place of the second day To record the satisfaction we felt in escaping a second journey over Thirsty Flat, by following the valley we had seen yesterday evening, we named it Lucky Valley After a brief halt, we pushed on, and by eleven, were at our old quarters in Mussel Bend We heard the voices of natives in all directions, far and near, and as I found the party still astonishi+ngly fresh, and eager to proceed, I thought it best to keep going We therefore continued our journey, and just before dark reached the spot where we had dined the first day Here, however, the cheerful exciteh Lucky Valley having gone off, theday's march, and were all more or less knocked up
RACE WITH A NATIVE
Near the river, as ere approaching our intended bivouac, we ca leisurely across the plain, and so intently occupied in poising and straightening his spear, and fixing it in the throwing stick, that he allowed et within sixty yards of him: I then loudly hailed him He cast one look of utter and indescribable astonish who thus interrupted his pathway over his native soil, and was off at the top of his speed Little anticipating that I should soon have to test in earnest the fleetness of these people, I tried rates with him for a short distance, and remarked, with surprise, that he had not that superiority of speed which ht deprived him of his full powers, for whathis whose very existence was till then unknown to hiretted that I did not see how much nearer I could have approached without discovery, but at the tiot so near as I did will seem almost incredible to those who recollect the wary character, and the peculiarly restless and vigilant eye of the savage: so emotion of love or hate had for the ti objects!
We cah reeds, and as a party of natives were distinctly audible below, myself, Mr Forsyth, and Mr Bynoe led the way The natives crossed ih the foliage on the other side: however, they appeared but to wait in order to verify the astonishi+ng report just brought in by their breathless countryed frohbours slowly drew off, and were soon hid in the dense obscurity their position afforded
They had evidently examined our old fireplace very minutely, but the precaution taken to preserve the meat canister had luckily been successful
QUARTERS FOR THE NIGHT
I selected the quarters for the night not without some anxiety, for the natives were evidently in force in our ihbourhood, and their shrill cries kept us all awake, though the day's ood upwards of twenty round, except in Lucky Valley, was of a rees, and with nearly 150 pounds weight a seven of us, for the sick hand was of course relieved as far as possible I got the requisite observation for latitude during the night; and since necessity is ever the mother of invention, read off my sextant by a torch made for the occasion from pieces of paperbark It will easily be believed, that I did not needlessly prolong the work; for the light of the torch rendered e to hurl his spear at: however, His Eye, to whoht are both alike, watched over our safety, and we spent the night in security if not in silence
Nove broke, and we found ourselves apparently alone in the solitudes of the forest: no sound or sign indicated the presence of its e so soon prepare to yield to the advancing movement of that hitherto fatal civilization before which his name, his race, nay, all traces of his rude existenceof the night, and the apparent peaceful aspect of the le would be e shout of triulorious nanified our new discovery, and which throughout the world sounds as the appropriate title of the fair sovereign of its htiest people?
RETURN TO REACH HOPELESS
A rapid walk brought us to our old bivouac by ten o'clock, without anything of particular interest having occurred upon the route We found only one boat at Reach Hopeless, Captain Wickhaone down the river with the others in order to hasten the watering party In another chapter will be found some more detailed remarks upon the peculiar and distinctive character of the Victoria; they will not be uninteresting to the reader who feels any of that curiosity which is in part an incitement to the discoverer
We learnt froe body of the natives had been doatching theirif possible to surprise theh they had approached very near, they would not have been seen but for a shooting party, which got a view of theround with evident caution They were probably the saher up, and had traced our trail backwards, in order to see whence, and in what force we had entered their territory Little did they iazed upon our small party and its solitary boat, that they had seen the harbingers of an approaching revolution in the fortunes of their country!