Part 11 (1/2)
We followed it through a series of plains, from one of which a blue mountain was visible to the north-west I called it ”Mount Lang,” after Dr Lang, the distinguished historiographer of New South Wales Sht side of the brook, a stream of lava bounded the plains, and was, as usual, covered with dense scrub Box, with occasional patches of narrow-leaved tea trees, grew along the plains The forest was very open, and principally consisted of narrow-leaved Ironbark; the grass in the forest and on the plains, was of the best description Finer stations for the squatter cannot exist
May 6--Following the brook about four entle slope of basalt Plains stretched along both sides of its course, and even beyond it Luxuriant reeds, Plothos, and several deep green trees, crowded round its head Kangaroos, which abounded particularly along the scrub, had fore I now directed my course to the WNW, but soon found myself checked by a dyke or wall of basaltic lava, composed of boulders and tabular blocks heaped over each other in wild confusion, and covered by scrub; it stretched froe to the southward, after having made a vain attempt to cross it The outlines of the stream ran out in low heads into the flat table land, and there we s and chains of water-holes which united lower down into a water-course, which, after following alternately the outline of the scrub, and turning into the strea its loose rocks The lava was very cellular; the basalt of the table land solid The whole appearance of this interesting locality showed that the stream of lava was of much more recent date than the rock of the table land, and that the latter was probably formed under water, whilst the cellular scorified lava was poured out into the open air The streaed so much, and descended into so broad a valley, that I considered it to be the head of the Burdekin I walked across it, in order to ascertain the presence of water, but found nothing but deep dry hollows surrounded with drooping tea trees, and the black basaltic rocks covered ild bottle-tree scrub It joined the valley of lagoons very much like the valley of the reedy brook, and seee basin Numerous headlands protruded frooons, between the stream of lava and reedy brook Many of theranite, composed of quartz and laminated felspar--ED], the detritus of which formed sandy slopes very different from the black and loamy soil of the table land and its plains
Several isolated hills and short ridges rise out of the basaltic floor of the valley of lagoons; they are composed of a different rock; and if it y, I should say that they were pegmatite and quartzite It would, therefore, appear that the valley of lagoons is connected with three strea down the river to the southward, a second co down the valley of Reedy Brook fro from the NW The course of the Burdekin has no connection with this valley, but runs apparently along its eastern side, and divides the primitive rocks from the streams of lava; for I had not observed any lava on its left bank
In returning to our careat nu us, screa men to the spot, ere much bolder and approached us I dismounted and walked up within five yards of them, when I stopped short from a mutual disinclination for too close quarters, as they were arns fornothing with n that I wouldto the camp They appeared to be in no way unfriendly, and directed us how to avoid the water When I reached the camp, I found that the Blackfellows had been there already, and had been rather urgent to enter it, probably in consequence of the sed to keep the our nature and intentions; aular hether the bullocks were not our gins This occurred last night; in the reat numbers, and climbed the trees on the other side of the brook to observe as doing within the camp It now became necessary to show the at a kite, nu trees; our shots, however, unfortunately un with a shout of laughter At this time, however, Mr Roper, Charley, and myself returned from our excursion, when they became quiet I threw a tin canister over to them, and they returned me a shower of roasted Nymphaea fruit It seems that the seed-vessels of Nymphaea and its rhizoma form the principal food of the natives; the seeds containI then gave thens that it rilled; soon afterwards they retired Mr Roper ca up the steep bank of the river, his horse, unable to get a footing ah I i to the place where the accident had happened, and proposed to my companions, that we should try toand healthy, and the supply would greatly assist in saving our bullocks to the end of our long journey; and they declared theive a fair trial to the horse-flesh Our bullocks were foot-sore and required rest We, therefore, shot the horse, skinned and quartered it the saood as those of a bullock
May 7--We cut the h there was soainst it, it would have been very difficult to have detected any difference between it and beef; particularly if the animals had been in the same condition
May 8--As I found it necessary to follow the right bank of the river, in order to get out of this intricate country, I sent Mr Gilbert and Charley to trace the river through the valley of lagoons Having accomplished their object, they inforoons of the large valley, but that several very large ones were even on its left bank; and that all tree vegetation disappeared froh a part of the valley of lagoons
May 9--As my bullocks were still extremely foot-sore, it was necessary that we should travel only by short stages until they recovered; consequently, the day's journey did not exceed five miles in a NNE
direction; and, with the exception of so the left bank of the river The latter formed, as I have already stated, the line of separation, first, between basalt and granite, and afterwards between basalt and a quartzose rock (probably baked Psarassed; the river for a simple channel, without trees, well filled ater and flowing between chains of lakes and lagoons on either side; one of which was covered with flocks of ducks and pelicans, rese islands of white lilies
Beyond the aloons, Casuarinas and Calliste the river
We saw some Blackfellows in the distance, who immediately withdree approached them; but the tribe, which we had met at Reedy Brook, came to the other side of the river, and had much to say; we did not, however, take any notice of them, until we had unloaded our bullocks and finished our luncheon, when I went down to thehtered bullocks Roper had saved the mane of his horse, and threw it over to thehten thens as to the course of the river, and we understood by their answers, that it ca way froiven my companions to understand that the brook had its source not very far off to the WNW, by pointing at their heads, then at the brook, and then in the direction mentioned I was therefore inclined to trust to their information about the river's source They threw some yam-roots over to us, the plant of which ere not able to ascertain: and after that they retired
May 10--This ain, and, when our bullocks were loaded and ere about to start, I went down to them and took a sort of leave
We had scarcely proceeded half aof our bell, and found that Charley had forgotten to put it on the horse's neck, and had left it behind Mr Calvert and Brown, therefore, returned to look for it, and, upon reaching the place where the ca every part of it; at the approach of the horsemen, however, they retired to the other side of the river; but when they turned their horses' heads, after having found the bell, the natives followed them, and threw three spears after them--whether it was out of mere wantonness, or with hostile intentions, I do not know, though I was inclined to believe the first It was, nevertheless, a warning to us not to repose too much confidence in them Mr Roper met to-day with a severe accident, which nearly cost him his life It was a very co them by the tails; as he tried to do this with his horse, which was not yet accustomed to him, the animal struck out at him, and kicked him with both feet on the chest Roper happily recovered after some faintness, but complained for several days afterwards of external pain We travelled this day about foura well-beaten path of the natives
The river was again confined in its own valley, with quartzose rocks (Psammite) on one side, and the falls of the basaltic table land on the other Basalt was, however, observed here about on several spots at the left bank, and quartz porphyry coes near our last encareat number of anabranches, but all confined in the same valley, and united by interain becomatite and quartz Casuarinas were plentiful on its banks; the poplar-gum, and the Moreton Bay ash on the adjacent flats; Tristania, with pubescent leaves round sorew on the hills; and rich grass every where
The night was clear, but the y, and the dew very heavy The as fro after sunset
May 11--We travelled four miles to the ENE The anabranches of the river continued; the ranges of quartz porphyry approached several tirew abundantly in its bed, and along the banks Higher up we crossed fine flats with lagoons and lakes covered as usual with Nyrees 32a Casuarina creek, with high banks and a sandy bed This creek separated the table land frorained sandstone The banks of the river here seemed to have been swept away; a broad sheet of sand, covered with fine drooping tea trees, was slightly furrowed by a narrow streah the sands; chains of water-holes at its left side, fringed with Casuarinas, appeared to be anabranches of the river, and to be connected with thethe rainy season
I have to mention that a species of Sciadophyllum, nearly allied to Sc
lucidum, (Don iii p 390,) was found in the lava scrub of the valley of lagoons: it was a sitate leaves, each of thelabrous leaflets, which were about five inches long; and it attracted the attention of e as its nuht scarlet coloured flowers
After having celebrated Whit-Sunday with a double allowance of fat cake and sweetened tea, I started with Charley to reconnoitre the country to the ard Our friendly stream not only turned to the north, but afterwards to north-east and east-north-east; and though I had not succeeded in leaving it fro been able to cross the lava streams of the basaltic table land--I now concluded, from the nature of the pebbles, and sands of the creek which we had crossed last, that the basalts and lavas had ceased, and that a passage to the ould be practicable
I followed the Casuarina Creek up to its head, and called it ”Big Ant-hill Creek,” in consequence of nuely buttressed structures of the white ant, which I had never seen of such a foreneral course of the creek was north-north-west: for the first ten miles it ithout water, but its middle and upper course ell provided with fine reedy holes, the constant supply of water in which was indicated by Nymphaeas, and other aquatic plants At its left side near the junction I observed, as before rained sandstone, and, at less than a her up, I found flint rock; and, wherever I exaranite and pegmatite, the decomposition of which for the creek The latter, however, were very limited
The ant-hills were intimately connected with the rock, as the ants derived theirthe sand The priullies and ravines, and several tributary creeks joined Big Ant-hill Creek from the pri the right side of the creek, forenerally topped with loose basaltic boulders The table land was highest near the creek, and its drainage was not towards the creek, but to the south-west, into the valley of lagoons White quartz rock was observed in a few places on the right side of the creek, where the primitive rock seemed to encroach into the territory of the basalt; and felspathic porphyry formatite, but was most evidently broken by the basalt
Where the upper part of the creek forether into the primitive formation, a plain came down from the west-north-ith a shalloatercourse, which continued the separation of the two for basaltic, the soil of the Box and Ironbark forest loa sandy, and covered with a very pleasing poplar guly nuher up the plain, separated into several distinct plains, the largest of which was fro, and fro; another plain came from an isolated razorback hill, and a third continued on the line of contact of the basaltic and primitive rocks The upper parts of the small creeks, which come down in these plains, were full of water, and had their source generally between heaps of bare basaltic rocks, surrounded by rich grass, and a scanty scrub of Pittosporu-tree, and of several vines, with Polypodiu between them
Several other hills and enerally with open plains at their base The greater part, however, was open forest, principally of narrow-leaved Ironbark and Box, and occasionally poplar-gureat number of rocky basins within the basalt, and surrounded by its black blocks, fores and Polygonurew abundantly in most of them
These basins were situated between low basaltic rises, along which narrow flats frequently extended The flooded gum-trees were fine and nu a creek I rode, however, over eighteen htest watercourse Long flats bounded by slight undulations extended some to the northward, and others to the ard; but their inclination was i one of the hills, I obtained a fine view To the west by south I saw other isolated mountains: the country to the as not broken by any elevation; a fine long range was visible to the north-west
It was now 3 o'clock PM, and my Blackfellows had left me, as usual; my horse was foot-sore, and neither the poor animal nor myself had tasted water for the last thirty-six hours Under these circuh I ardently desired to push on to the north-west ranges, I thought it prudent to return; and after a short rest towhich I chewed some dry pieces of beef, I rode on my way back until 9 o'clock, and then encaly of the pleasures of the fire and the heavy dehich had fallen, though a coht one; by dint of patience, however, I succeeded, and then stretched e Ironbark log; whilst my horse, which I had hobbled and tethered, drooped his head over me, little inclined either to feed orof the 14th, and passed between Mount Lang and Razorback Hill At the foot of the latter Iseries of plains until I ca Ant-hill Creek At the sight of water, which we had been without full fifty hours, my horse and I rushed siain, before I could induce ht a fire and make some tea, which was always found to be much more wholesome, and to allay thirst sooner than the water alone