Part 3 (1/2)

We had a splendid view of the river, which here is very broad and flanked on the right by a dark clay cliff, which is exceedingly picturesque On the opposite side of the strearassy flat of beautiful and park-like appearance Altogether it was a cheerful and pleasant locality, and ere sorry to leave it so soon

Our observations placed us in lat 34 degrees 11 rees 39 eneral course of the Murray isit we had e natives brought up our cattle for us, to whoh so kindly disposed, they did not follow us

Indeed, the natives generally, seeine ere going up the Darling with so ly tas, and I therefore felt satisfied that I had not done wrong in bringing them with round than usual, having extensive polygoniuht There were belts of brush however on the plains, the soil and productions of which were sandy and salsolaceous At 4 1/2upon a creek at 13 h the feed was bad, as the cattle were unable to get to the river flats in consequence of the flooded state of the creek itself

On the 5th we travelled through a country that consisted almost entirely of scrub on the poorest soil However, ere now approaching that part of the river at which the flats (extensive enough) are intersected by nuoons, so that our approach to the Murray was likely to be cut off altogether At 3 1/2 ain struck the creek on the banks of which we had slept, and as it was the point at which the native path from Lake Bonney also strikes it, I halted to take a rees 4 o and feed with their bridles through the stirrups, and were sitting on the ground e heard a shot, and a general alarst the theth discovered that one of that gentleone off in the holster, to the dise was done

After noon, we pushed on, and at a mile crossed a creek, where we found a small tribe of scrub natives, one of who about it; a solitary instance of the kind as far as I arassy plains for about two miles, e fell in with another small tribe on a second creek: our introduction to which was more than ordinarily cereround, with the wo time preserved that silence and reserve which is peculiar to these people when ers; however, we soon became more intimate, and several of them joined our train Our friend Nadbuck was very officious (not disagreeably so, however), on the occasion, and shewed himself a most able tactician, since he paid more attention to the fair than his own sex, and his explanation of our ht

We soon passed froreater extent, and still finer herbage Nothing indeed could exceed the luxuriance of the grass on these water inning to incroach upon them These were marked all over with cattle tracks, many of theht before, but independently of these there were others of older date The immense number of these tracks led me to inquire frohbourhood, when they informed me that there were numbers of wild cattle in the brushes to the ard of the flats, and that they carass upon the plain over which ere travelling was so inviting, that I deter towards the river with Mr Eyre, I directed Mr Poole and Mr Browne to try the brushes with Flood and Mack, for a wild bullock, whilst we arranged the camp We scarcely had time to do this, however, when Mr Browne returned to infor the brush they had fallen in with a herd of about fifty cattle, out of which they had singled and shot a fine anis had killed a large kangaroo Upon this I sent Morgan with the cart to fetch in the quarters of the anio with hiht be left behind, and to feast on the kangaroo The beast the party had killed fully justified Mr Browne's account of it, and its fine condition proved the excellent nature of the pastures on which it had fed We had not killed many of the sheep, as I was anxious to preserve theiven us little or no trouble, so that I was led to hope that by ordinary care they would prove a most valuable and important stock

We were here unable to approach the river, and therefore encah; however, as we had stopped for the benefit of the cattle it was of no consequence But although on this occasion they were absolutely up to their rass, the bullocks were not satisfied, but with a spirit of contradiction common to animals as well as men they separated intothereater, because of the numerous tracks of other cattle in every direction around us We recovered theh too late to move that day, and it is somewhat remarkable to record, that this was the only occasion on which during this long journey ere delayed for so long a ti, whose keen eye soon detected the fresher tracks, we ht have been detained for several days

As Mr Browne had been on horseback the greater part of the day, I left hi been after the cattle, and in the afternoon walked out with Mr Eyre, to try if we could get to the river, but failed, for the creeks were full of water, and our approach to it or to the nearer flats was entirely cut off So intersected indeed was this neighbourhood, that we got to a point at which five creeks joined

The scene was a very pretty one, since they fore trees The native name of this place was ”Chouraknarup,” a naenerally are We had not co new either in the ani was much more forward on this part of the river than near Lake Bonney, although there was no material difference between the two places in point of latitude A rees 1 rees 2 ht of the 6th Sept was frosty and cold, and we had thick ice in the buckets We left our ca of the 7th, and at 4 miles struck the river, where its breadth was considerable, and it looked exceedingly well The flooded state of the creeks however prevented our again approaching it for several days

Shortly after leaving the river we turned ained its most northern reach About noon we fell in with a few natives, who did not trouble themselves much about us, but we found that their backwardness was rather the result of ti else We traversed large and well-grassed flats al, and ultimately encamped on the banks of a creek of some size, opposite to our tents the floods hadthe night

Mr Eyre and I were again disappointed in an atteain the banks of the Murray, but we returned to the camp with a numerous retinue of ht The several descriptions which have been given by others of these scenes, ive my account of such here; but as my ideas of these ceremonies may differ from that of other travellers, I shall trespass on the patience of my readers for a few e a corrobori may appear to those to whom they are new, they are, in truth, plays or rather dramas, which it takes both ti any other teach them their corrobori, and the natives think as much of theh there is a great sameness in these perforreat bustle when a corrobori is to be perfor point, as our actors do by other means than these poor creatures possess On the present occasion there was not time for excitement; our's was as it were a family corrobori, or private theatricals, in which ere let into the secrets of what takes place behind the scenes A party of the Darling natives had lately visited the Murray, and had taught our friends their corrobori, in which, however, they were not perfect; and there was consequently a want of that excitement which is exhibited when they have their lesson at their fingers' ends, and are free to give is, which are the heart and soul of a corrobori

We had so our friends to exhibit, and ed success rather to Mr Eyre's influence than any anxiety on the part of the natives theo and paint theround It was pitch dark, and ranging thee tree, they each lit a sive effect to the acting

On their co froht shed by the yet uncherished fires, like spectres After sonal, a handful of dry leaves was thrown on each fire, which instantly blazing up lighted the whole scene, and shewed the dusky figures of the perforitated with ad, all were soon again left in obscurity

But, as I have observed, for so was not carried on with spirit, and we soon retired fro, and which in truth requires some little nerve to witness for the first time

We had now arrived at Camboli's haunt, and were introduced by him to his wife and children, of wholy brats, a poor Benedict could not have been blessed with

Whether it was that he wished to remain behind, for he had not been very active on the road, or taken that interest in our proceedings which Nadbuck had done; or that our praises of his wife and pickaninnies had had any effect I know not, but he would not leave his fa reat celebrity--since in it soical events had taken place

It was near it that the volunteers ent out to rescue Mr Inman's sheep, which had been seized by the natives to the number of 4,000, were driven back and forced to retreat; not, I would beg to be understood, from want of spirit, but because they were fairly overpowered and caught in a trap The whole of the party, indeed, behaved with admirable coolness, and one of them, Mr Charles Hawker, as well as their leader, Mr Fidd, shewed a degree of hly to their credit Here also was the Hornet's Nest, where the natives offered battle to allant friend, Major O'Halloran, whose instructions forbade his striking the first blow I can fancy that his war himself defied by the self-confident natives; but they were too wise to commence an attack, and the parties, therefore, separated without co to blows Here, or near this spot also, the old white-headed native, who used to attend the overland parties, was shot by Miller, a discharged soldier, I aiment This old man had accompanied me for several days in my boat, when I went down the Murray to the sea coast in 1830, and I had made him a present, which he had preserved, and shewed to the first overland party that cauide of the parties that followed along that line He attended me when I canised me, and would sleep no where but at my tent door He was shot by Miller in cold blood, whilst talking to one of the e; but retribution soon followed Miller was shortly afterwards severely wounded by the natives; and, having aneurism of the heart, was cautioned by his arding this, when he had nearly recovered, he went one day to visit a friend at the gaol in which he ought to have been confined, and in springing over a ditch near it, fell dead on the other side, and wholly unprepared to appear before that tribunal, to which he will one day or other be summoned, to answer for this and other similar crimes

About a dozen natives followed us froain struck the creek, on which we had rested, and which had turned to our right at 2 1/2its banks, until it again trended too much to the south

We crossed alluvial flats of considerable extent, on which there was an abundance of grass Just at the point at which we turned from the creek, we ascended a small sand hill, covered with the amaryllis, then beautifully in flower The latitude of this little hill, from which the cliffs on the rees E

distant four rees 57 minutes 11 seconds; so that the Murray does not extend northwards beyond latitude 34 degrees 1 ain struck the creek, the course of which had been um-trees, at six miles, and were forced by it to the NE, but ultimately turned it and descended southwards to the river; but as ere cut off froth, backed by hills of a yellow and white colour, the rock being a soft and friable sandstone, slightly encrusted with salt We had, shortly before we halted, passed a salt lagoon in the centre of one of the grassy flats, but such anomalies are not uncommon in the valley of the Murray That part of the river which I have described, frooon, appeared to me admirably adapted for a cattle station, and has since been occupied as such

As I have observed, the lagoon on which we encamped was backed by hills of 150 or 200 feet elevation, which were covered with thick brush wood

The flat between us and these hills was unusually barren, and all the trees at the side of the lagoon were dead Whether this ing to there being salt in the ground or to sorass for the cattle to eat, so that, although they atched, twenty of theed to craay, and ere consequently delayed above an hour and a half after our usual hour of starting, and co two of our coh the brush, in which they were very coh acountry of sand and scrub At noon ere abreast of a little sandy peak that was visible from our camp, and is a prominent feature hereabouts This peak Mr Browne and I ascended, though very little to our gratification, for the view from it was as usual over a sea of scrub to whatever quarter we turned The peak itself was nothing more than a sandy e, and the whole locality was so much in unison with it, that we called it ”Mount Misery”

After passing this hill, and forcing through soot once more on the overland road, which was distinctlyup in the furrows the drays had left This road took us to the edge of a precipitous e beneath it This eh, and presented a steep wall to the river; for although the Murray had lost the fossil cliffs it was still flanked by high level plains on both sides, and cliffs of 100 or 120 feet in height, composed of clay and sand, rose above the stream, the faces of which presented the appearance of fretwork, so deeply and delicately had they been grooved out by rains The soil of this upper table land was a bright red ferruginous clay and sand The vegetation was chiefly salsolaceous, but there was, notwithstanding, no want of grass upon it, though the tufts were very far apart If our cattle had fared badly at our last camp, they had no reason to coreen flat, about seven ht from the nearest point of Lake Victoria There were now seventeen natives in our train, ast as one of reed in, wounded and taken prisoner at an affair on the Rufus, to which I shall again have to allude

Whilst the police were conveying this man handcuffed to Adelaide, he threw himself off the lofty cliffs at the Great Bend into the river beneath, and atte across it, but he was recaptured and taken safe to Adelaide, where subsequent kind treate disposition His attempt to escape was of the boldest kind, and was spoken of with astonishment by those itnessed it, but so desperate an act only proved how much more these people value liberty than life I ae would have subroan; he was the most repulsive native in aspect that I ever saw, and had a most ferocious countenance

The thick lip and white teeth, the lowering brow, and deep set but sharp eye, with the rapidly retiring forehead all betrayed the savage with the least intellect, but his deain preceded us to the Rufus, with Kenny and Tenbury; for although we had been disappointed in seeing any natives at Lake Bonney, it was hardly to be doubted but that we should find a considerable number at Lake Victoria

We joined Mr Eyre about noon at the junction of the Rufus with the Murray, and which serves like Hawker's Creek as a channel of communication between that river and the Murray Here Mr Eyre had collected 69 natives, ere about to go out kangarooing when he arrived They had their hunting spears and a feaddies, but no other weapons