Discoveries in Australia, Volume 2: Discoveries in Australia; with an Account of the Coasts and Rivers; Explored and Surveyed During the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, in The; Years 1837-38-39-40-41-42-43. By Command of the Lords Commissioners; Of the Admiralty. Also a Narrative of Captain Owen Stanley's Visits; To the Islands in the Arafura Sea — John Shaqi
Discoveries in Australia, Volume 2: Discoveries in Australia; with an Account of the Coasts and Rivers; Explored and Surveyed During the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, in The; Years 1837-38-39-40-41-42-43. By Command of the Lords Commissioners; Of the Admiralty. Also a Narrative of Captain Owen Stanley's Visits; To the Islands in the Arafura SeaStokes, John Lort
History
Discoveries in Australia, Volume 2: Discoveries in Australia; with an Account of the Coasts and Rivers; Explored and Surveyed During the Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, in The; Years 1837-38-39-40-41-42-43. By Command of the Lords Commissioners; Of the Admiralty. Also a Narrative of Captain Owen Stanley's Visits; To the Islands in the Arafura Sea
Stokes, John Lort
Australia -- Description and travel; Australia -- Discovery and exploration; Natural history -- Australia
Not so, however; despite the dreadful fear they appeared to entertain of
the white man, maternal affection was strong within them, and risking all
to save their offspring, they began to tow the raft with all their
strength towards the shore. This devotion on the part of the women to
their little ones, was in strong contrast with the utter want of feeling
shown by the men towards both mothers and children.
Captain Wickham now, no doubt to their extreme consternation, pulled
after the men, and drove them back to the raft. Some dived and tried thus
to escape the boat, while others grinned ferociously, and appeared to
hope, by dint of hideous grimaces--such as are only suggested even to a
savage by the last stage of fear--to terrify the white men from
approaching. At length, however, they were all driven back to the raft,
which was then towed across the harbour for them; a measure which they
only were able to approve of when they had landed, and fear had quite
subsided.
Doubtless, the forbearance of our party surprised them, for from their
terrified looks and manner, when swimming with all their strength from
the raft, they must have apprehended a fate at least as terrible as that
of being eaten.
The raft itself was quite a rude affair, being formed of small bundles of
wood lashed together, without any shape or form, quite different from any
we had seen before.
Bynoe Harbour was found to terminate in three deep creeks branching off
between North-East and South-East, the largest of which led into fresh
water, but in small detached pools, which are separated from the salt, by
a shelf of red porous sandstone, and which two miles further became
entirely lost in the rocks. The green appearance of the gumtrees and an
occasional clump of palms, which had pleasingly succeeded the mangroves,
as they advanced, assured Captain Wickham that there was fresh water
near. Probably, if they had carried their researches further, they would
have found these signs reappear again, doubtless proceeding from a swamp,
the presence of which the reader will recollect I inferred from seeing
the ibis flocking from the south-west up the south inlet in Port Darwin;
the west inlet of which is only one mile distant from the north-east
creek in the head of Bynoe Harbour. Doubtless when the country is not in
its present parched and thirsty state, all these are fresh at their
heads.
WELL AT PORT DARWIN.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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