Two Expeditions into the Interior of Southern Australia, Volume I

return-Desolating effects of the drought-Retreat towards the colony-Connection between the Ma

ses. We pointed out to them the direction in which we were going, and invited them to visit us; and nothing appeared to astonish

was unquestionable that they themselves had deserted them, and had crowded to such places as still contained a supply of water. Even in retreating, we could not hope to retrace our steps. Experience had proved to us, that the dry state of the interior was as injurious to the movements of an expedition as a too wet season would have been. Taking everything, therefore, into consideration, I determined on leaving the party stationary, and on crossi

pproach nearer than the top of a little hillock on which they sat. The men did not come round the tents, but stood in a row at a

Y OF A

what the man wanted. He soon after returned, and brought a blanket, which he said the man had returned to him. The native was alone, and when he o

MAN FOR H

their dogs, than which nothing could be more melancholy; but about eight, the men made their appearance on the hill occupied by the women the evening previously, and seemed to be doubtful whether to approach nearer. I went out to them, and, with a downward motion of my hand, beckoned for them to come to me: they mistook the signal, but laid all their spears on the ground, and it was not until after the sign had been reversed that th

highly pleased with him, and forthwith presented him with a tomahawk and a clasp-knife. The tr

my communication with them, and to impress them, at the same time, with a sense of our love of it in them. That they appreciated my apparent lenit

OF FIRI

my gun and fired a ball into a tree. The effect of the report upon the natives, was truly ridiculous. Some stood and stared at me, others fell down, and others ran away; and it was with some difficulty we collected them aga

ACROSS T

ll plains of firmer surface, and red soil, but these soon changed again for the former; and at 4 p.m. we found ourselves advanced about two miles on a plain that stretched away before us, and bounded the horizon. It was dismally brown; a few trees only served

EFFECTS OF

n a change in the vegetation. But we had left all traces of the natives far behind us; and this seemed a desert they never entered-that not even a bird inhabited. I could not encourage a hope of success, and, therefore, gave up the point; not from want of means, but a conviction of the inutility of any further efforts. If there is any blame to be attached to the measure, it is I w

saplings were now rising in their beds, nourished by the moisture that still remained; but the largest forest trees were drooping, and many were dead. The emus, with outstretched necks, gasping for breath, searched the channels of the rive

for our retreat in the morning. The natives had remained with the party during the

re anxious to ascertain whence it originated. To return to Mount Harris, by retracing our steps up the Castlereagh, would have entailed the severest distress upon us; we the rather preferre

k, leading westerly, which still remained observable. The creek was, no doubt, the hollow he stated that he crossed on that excursion, and its appearance certainly justified his opinion of it. Its bed was choked up with bulrushes or the p

; the wheels of which had failed us. Clayton put in four new spokes, and we

D M

p the creek, to ascertain how far the next water was from us, desiring him to keep the creek upon his right, and to follow his own track back again. He thought fit, however, considering himself a good bushman, to wander away to his left, and the consequence was, that he soon lost himself. It would appear that he doubled and passed through some thick brush at the back of the camp, and a

UP TH

plains behind us. In continuing our journey, we found several changes take place in the appearance of the creek and its neighbourhood. The former diminished in size, and at length separated into two distinct channels, choked up, for the most part, with dead bulrushes, but having a few green reeds in patches along it. The flats on either side became slightly timbered, and blue gum was the prevailing tree. Crossing one of the channels, we observed every appearance of our near approach to the marshes, the flats being intersected

F MACQUARIE

he superfluous part of them into Morrisset's chain of ponds, which latter again falls into the Castlereagh, at about eight miles to the W.N.W. and all three join the Darling in a W. by N. direction, in lat. 30 degrees 52 minutes south and E. lon. 147 degrees 8 minutes at about 90 miles to the N.N.W. of Mount Harris, and about an equal distance to the E.S.E. of where we struck upon the last-mentioned river. Thus it is evident that the Darlin

Its course is involved in equal mystery, and it is a matter of equal doubt whether it makes its way to the south coast, or

TO MOUN

waters of the Macquarie had diminished so much, that its bed was dry for more than half a mile at a stretch, nor did we observe the least appearance of a current in it, until after we had ascended the ranges. The lower tribes were actually starving, an

STATE OF

le that under other circumstances, we should have found it impossible to traverse its distant plains, as it is c