About 10 a.m. I took my departure from these interesting people. The
principal chief could not be less than six feet four inches high, and
his proportions gigantic; his brother six feet two inches, also a fine
man. I recrossed Batman's Creek, and travelled over thinly-timbered
country of box, gum, wattle, and she-oak, with grass three of four feet
high. Travelling twelve miles down we came, subsequently, upon a
thinly-timbered forest of gum, wattle and oak. Here, for the first time,
the land became sandy, with a little gravel. The grass was ten inches
high, and resembled a field of wheat. We have not seen the slightest
appearance of frost. After leaving this forest, we came upon the river I
had gone up a few days before. Intending to come down on the opposite
side and hail the vessel, I crossed on the banks of the river, a large
marsh, one mile and a half broad by three or four long, of the richest
diluvium; not a tree was to be seen. Having crossed this marsh we passed
through a dense tea-tree scrub, very high, expecting to make the vessel
in the course of an hour or two, but, to our great surprise, when we got
through, we found ourselves on the banks of a much larger river than the
one we had originally gone up.
As it was now near sundown, and at least two days would be required to
head the river, I decided upon allowing two of my Sydney natives to swim
across it, and go to the vessel, distant about seven miles, to fetch the
boat. Bullet and Bungit started on this enterprise, and returned in
about three hours from the time of their departure. Their return with
the boat was most opportune as we had got on the point of junction of
the two rivers, where the tide had set in, and was already up to my
ankles. I first despatched the party with the dogs in the boat to the
opposite bank, and, on the return of the boat, myself and old Bull, who
had cut his foot, went in first-rate style, to the vessel. I hope my
travelling on foot will terminate, at least for some time. I had now
accomplished a most arduous undertaking, and, in order to secure the
fruits of my exertions I intend leaving Gumm, Dodds, Thomson, and three
of my Sydney natives--Bungit, Bullet, and old Bull--as overseers and
bailiffs of my newly acquired territory, and of the possession of which
nothing short of a premature disclosure of my discovery on the part of
my companions, can possibly deprive me. These people I intend leaving at
Indented Heads, as my head depot, with a supply of necessaries for at
least three months. The chiefs of the Port Phillip tribe made me a
present of three stone tomahawks, some spears, wommeras, boomerangs, and
other weapons of warfare.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account