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
The point on which The Sandhill is situated I called after Lieutenant
Gore, and the inlet, which we entered just before dark, Disaster Inlet,
from a circumstance of what may be called a tragical nature which
happened in it. Like all the other inlets, as we afterwards found, it had
a bar scarcely passable at low-water for boats; but within there was a
depth of two and three fathoms. It appears that the streams passing out
of these openings groove out a channel in the great flat fronting the
shores for from one to three miles; but as the distance from their mouths
increased, the velocity and consequent strength of the stream diminished
in proportion, and, as we afterwards found, at this season was never
strong enough to force a channel the entire way through the flat or bank
at the entrance, which was thrown out in consequence further from the
shore. The projection thus formed in the great flat indicated the
importance of the inlet.
We passed the night a mile within the mouth of Disaster Inlet, and next
morning, which was cool and bracing enough for a latitude twenty degrees
further south, we followed its upward course, which was more westerly
than suited our impatience to proceed direct into the interior. Four
miles and a half from the entrance, in a straight line, though ten by the
distance the boats had gone, we came on a reach trending south. This
improvement in the course was equally felt by all, as was shown by the
bending of the oars to the eager desire of the crew to push on; but
scarcely had the boats glided midway through the hitherto untraversed
piece of water, when the tragical event occurred, which the name of the
inlet serves to recall, although it is too deeply engraven on the
memories of both actors and spectators ever to be forgotten.
COCKATOOS.
The mangroves that in patches fringed the banks, whilst all besides was
one flat grassy plain, were literally whitened with flocks of noisy
cockatoos, giving the trees an appearance as if they were absolutely
laden with huge flakes of snow--a somewhat remarkable aspect for a scene
in such a clime to wear. It seemed as if the rigid hand of winter had for
once been permitted to visit with its icy touch this tropical land; but
the verdure of all around, the serenity of the heavens, warm with the
fervid beams of the sun that gilded the rippling waters of the reach,
dispelled the illusion. And soon the huge masses of white plumage began
to float from tree to tree across the reach, whilst their screams as they
flew by seemed a fair challenge to the sportsman. Mr. Gore accordingly
resolved to secure a few of them for dinner, and put out his gun for the
purpose.
NARROW ESCAPE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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