Part 19 (1/2)

The nights were usually dewy, in consequence of the moist sea breeze, which blew almost the whole day from east and E N E, and set in frequently as early as 9 or 10 o'clock The , froly hot; but, before sunrise, it was htful; thethe day, and the mosquitoes which annoyed us after sunset, were then benuh the sun rose with the full intensity of its heat, it was not so inconvenient in the early morn as to induce us to look for shade Not a breath was stirring; and the notes of the laughing jackass and sos enjoying the beauty of this august solitude

Oct 12--We proceeded three or fourplace of the natives; in an old ca funnel-shaped fish trap, ellaria Hence we travelled about north-west by west, towards a fine e, which yesterday bore W N W After sixscrubby country, and broad-leaved tea-tree forest, we arrived at a creek with a fine pool of water, which, notwithstanding its Nyhtly brackish and bitter Limnaea, and two species of Melania, were found in it; the one species, with a long sharp spire, had been found in a reedy brook, at the upper Burdekin

Liht river was not half a mile from our camp; and I now hoped that we should soon be out of the syste it frorees 13 rees 30 rasses of the coast, and the pasture was fast ieon (Carpophaga luctuosa, GOULD) which we had once before observed; but it was exceedingly shy and rare, and only seen in pairs

Oct 13--We travelled about sixteen rees 29several salt water creeks, which prolonged our journey very es frequently approached the river, and rendered our travelling difficult and fatiguing They were composed of baked sandstone, and white and blue indurated clay, the strata of which dipped at a very sle to the southward, and the strike fro the river and creeks, were openly tirassed; and, at the head of a salt-water creek, we found deep ponds of constant water covered with Ny tea-trees Towards the end of the stage, where the high rocky hills formed deep declivities into the river, we had to ascend theood sized creek joined the river at their southern slopes, which, though salt below, contained soher up To the southward of this creek, there were four very remarkable flat-topped cones of sandstone, which appeared like a plateau cut into four detached masses These I called the ”Four Archers,” in honour of my excellent hosts Messrs David, Charles, John, and Thomas Archer of Moreton Bay Frouished distant ranges broken by a gap to the southward, and detached long-stretched ridges to the ard

I ith Charley to exa place, in which we succeeded at about four rees 30 minutes 31 seconds; where a stony bar crossed the salt water, leaving a small channel in which the tide formed a shallow stream The bed of the river became very broad and sandy, covered with shrubs like those of the Lynd and most of the other rivers we had passed

Oct 14--We crossed the river, and travelled about ten es, separated by fine open tea-tree and box flats Some fine shallow sandy watercourses, quite dry, went down to the north by east At the end of the stage, the uniforreen line of a river-bed, so pleasing and so refreshi+ng to the eye, with the rich verdure of its drooping tea-trees and myrtles, interspersed with the silver leaves of Acacia neurocarpa and Grevillea chrysodendron The river was forue, and was full 700 yards froed with Pandanus, which were very probably connected by a streah the sands, I called it the ”Wickham,” in honour of Captain Wickham, RN of Moreton Bay, who had recently commanded a survey of the north-west coast of New Holland, in HMS Beagle

The red wallabi (Halullies of the river: and we started a flock of red foresters (Osphranter Antilopinus, GOULD) out of a patch of scrub on the brow of a stony hill

Charley and Brown, acco aroo was caught again, it should be roasted whole, whatever its size ht be We had consequently a roasted Red Forester for supper, and we never rolled ourselves up in our blankets enia, with large white blosso leaves; it was a tree of thirty or forty feet high, with a grey bark, and a good hard wood It was growing at the upper part of the creek on which ere encaht Its fruit o inches in diaitudinal ribs, scarlet red, and very eatable when dropt froathered on the tree, it had an aro the atered creeks of Arnheiator River, and at Raffles Bay Brown brought fro to hih

Oct 15--We continued our journey in a north-west direction The first five or six htly ti with ses, which we crossed, and from the top of one obtained the view of a rees, all steepthe nature of their rock, and separated from each other by perfectly level flats covered with broad leaved tea-tree forest At their foot a richer tree vegetation existed, principally couminous Ironbark, Blood-wood, and Pandanus The darker verdure of these trees, which we also observed at the foot of the e,about five miles over a flat, we crossed a broad sandy creek, which we did not follow, although beaten foot-paths of the natives led down it, as we firmly believed that a river was before us At five e, which rose suddenly froh a small watercourse existed in the tea-tree flat, our anticipated river proved to be like the Dutche, our poor bullocks suffered severely, and, e reached the su out of their mouths; I therefore halted a short time, to allow thees were steep, but to the north-west they were very gentle, and covered with stringy-bark forest A long succession of sies was seen to the north-west A se but dry water-holes

Finding that it turned to the eastward, round the range we had just crossed, and that it almost disappeared in the scrubby tea-tree flats, we turned to the northward, passed severalafter sunset, near a dry but pro creek, without water I immediately sent Mr Calvert and Charley down the creek, in search of water, and they returned, towards ence that they had found so the latter part of the stage, andhad been left behind, whereby this most valuable ani so ame, that his loss was severely felt by us

Our lat was 15 degrees 10 minutes

Oct 16--We travelled down to the water, about fourthe creek, which was covered with Cypress pine thickets, and tea-tree scrub Mr Calvert and Charley returned on our tracks to endeavour to recover our poor dog They found him almost dead,--stretched out in the deep cattle track, which he seemed not to have quitted, even to find a shady place They brought him to the camp; and I put his whole body, with the exception of his head, under water, and bled hian to bark, as if raving, and toIt seemed that he died of inflammation of the brain If we become naturally fond of animals which share with us the comforts of life, and become the cheerful coreater when they not only share in our sufferings, but aid greatly to alleviate thes, hich we moved on, was constantly before our eyes; and each individual the constant object of our attention We becahtest change in their walk, or in their looks was readily observed; and the state of their health anxiously interpreted Every bullock, every horse, had its peculiar character, its well defined individuality, which formed the frequent topic of our conversation, in which we all ly joined, because every one was equally interested My readers will, therefore, easily understand my deep distress when I saw myself, on recent occasions, co before their ti died, which we all had fondly hoped to bring to the end of our journey Brown had, either by accident, or influenced by an unconscious feeling of melancholy, fallen into the habit of al the soldier's deatheffect on s, that I was frequently constrained to request hihteencountry, in which Cypress-pine thickets alternated with scrubby stringy-bark forest, and soe dry creek, which went to the eastward; and, eight miles further, we entered upon a fine box-flat, with hills to the north and north-west We followed a very pro, or bulrush) and a new species of Sesbania indicated the recent presence of water Mr Roper having ascended one of the hills, and seen a green valley with a rich vegetation about three miles to the northward, we in consequence left the creek, which turned to the eastward; and, after passing several miles of most wretched scrub, caroves of trees As the sun was setting, I resolved upon encah without water, except e carried in our large stew-pot Charley, who had been sent forward, had not yet joined us; I, therefore, ordered two guns to be fired, to let him knohere ere; he ihted up a cheerful fire After so which misfortune and carelessness had played us the trick of upsetting our waterpot, Charley arrived with the welcome news that he had found soain saddled our tired anily hot; but the passing shadows of cumuli which forhtful relief

The sea breeze was strong, particularly towards evening; but the dense scrub and forest kept it fro the day

Oct 18--I stopped at the water-holes, to allow our cattle to recover

It was a lovely place The country around us was very open, and agreeably diversified by small clusters of the raspberry-jahbourhood of salt water; but the grass was good andtea-trees and the broad-leaved Terrew scattered over the flats The water-hole on which ere encareat nu, kept incessantly springing fro ray behind the dorsal fin, was also caught It was highly a to watch the swarms of little finches, of doves, and Ptilotis, which ca the heat of the day to drink from our water hole Grallina australis, Crows, Kites, Bronze-winged and Harlequin pigeons, (Peristera histrionica, GOULD), the Rose cockatoo (Cocatua Eos), the Betshi+regah (Melopsittacus undulatus), and Trichoglossus versicolor, GOULD, were also visitors to the water-hole, or were seen on the plains

The day was oppressively hot; and neither the drooping tea-trees, nor our blankets, of which we had athered, however, in the afternoon, and we had a few drops of rain in the course of the night and following one out on horseback to obtain some emus, hich the country seeht, without any e and black ducks, one goose and several waders, which they had obtained at a lagoon which was several th, and varied from 50 to 300 yards in breadth, covered with Nyetation; it was surrounded by fine pasture Never, as they described, had they seen so ether; when they rose, their nu They had observed a wooden post, cut with an iron toe stones; which seemed to be the work either of white men or Malays

Oct 19--We travelled about four rees west, over plains and an open undulating box and raspberry jaoon which erated their account, neither of the beauty of the country, nor of the size of the lagoon, nor of the exuberance of animal life on it It was indeed quite a novel spectacle to us to see such oon, as we travelled along Casuarinas, drooping tea-trees, the rew either on the flats, or foronue When we caoon, which was bounded on the left by a stony rise of flaggy Psareen belt of trees scarcely 300 yards to the northward; and on riding towards it, I found e fresh water river froh banks, densely covered with salt water Hibiscus (Paritium), with a small rubiaceous tree (Pavetta?), which filled the air with the jasellaria, water Pandanus, and a legureen blossohtly muddy, as if a fresh had come down the river; and the tide rose full three feet It was the river Mr Roper had seen two days before, and I na its left bank ell-grassed and openly timbered with box; hills were on the opposite side Its course was from north-west to south-east; but this seemed to be rather local Natives seeoon ell beaten; we passed several of their fisheries, and observed long fishtraps ellaria (rattan) All the cuts on various trees were made with an iron tomahawk Natives, crows, and kites were always the indications of a good country Charley, Brown, and John, who had been left at the lagoon to shoot waterfowl, returned with twenty ducks for luncheon, and went out again during the afternoon to procurethirty-one ducks and two geese; so that we had fifty-one ducks and two geese for the three meals; and they were all eaten, with the exception of a few bony remains, which some of the party carried to the next camp If we had had a hundred ducks, they would have been eaten quite as readily, if such an extravagant feast had been perrees W up the river; and I was fortunate enough to determine hts had prevented rees 47 rees 10 minutes The river continued equally broad, with a fine open box-tree country on its right, whilst a range of hills with several bluff breaks extended along the left side, interrupted occasionally by sos of small creeks, and, in one place, by the valley of a s it from the northward

We followed a broad foot-path of the natives, which cut the angles of the river, and passed along several large lagoons at the foot of soes, that occasionally approached the river, which was joined by some brushy creeks, one of which was of a considerable size

The box-trees were of stunted growth, but the raspberry-jarass was plentiful, but old and dry The lagoons were covered with ducks, geese, and pelicans; and native corass Brown pursued two eht one of them Wallabies were numerous; two bustards, and even a crocodile were seen A sh and loater reen ant of the Lynd inhabited the shady trees of the brushy banks; and, in the forest, brick coloured and black ants were nu easterly as blowing during the day, and no cumuli formed

Cas and fresh oons But, on the river, the cas had lately taken place

Oct 21--After waiting a very long tis that three of the orous of them were drowned, at the junction of the creek with the river Although the banks of the Roper were steep and e creek we had passed was scarcely two miles distant, and offered an easy approach to the water on a rocky bed It remained, therefore, inexplicable to us how the accident could have happened

This disastrous event staggered iddy; but there was no help Unable to increase the load of ed to leave that part of my botanical collection which had been carried by one of the horses The fruit of ned to the fire; and tears were inresults of my expedition vanish into smoke Mr