Journal of an Expedition into the Interior of Tropical Australia, in Search of a Route from Sydney to the Gulf of Carpentaria (1848)Mitchell, T. L. (Thomas Livingstone)
History
Journal of an Expedition into the Interior of Tropical Australia, in Search of a Route from Sydney to the Gulf of Carpentaria (1848)
Mitchell, T. L. (Thomas Livingstone)
New South Wales -- Discovery and exploration; Queensland -- Discovery and exploration
14TH MAY.--The left bank of the river being rather steep and broken, I
crossed it, determined to pursue a N. W. course, so long as I found the
country open, thinking I might easily fall in with the river about the
time I wished to encamp, believing its course would be towards the gap.
We passed through some scrub, but chiefly over good forest land. When we
had travelled on about ten miles, I saw hills nearly clear of wood before
me, and halted the party while I went forward to look at the country in
that direction. I soon overlooked a deep dell, full of the richest grass,
and wooded like a park. The fall of the enclosing ranges showed me,
however, that our river might be further to the westward than I had
thought at all likely. On returning to the party, I found they had been
called to by natives in our rear, one of whom was formally seated in
advance, prepared for a ceremonious interview; and I accordingly went
forward to him with the green bough, and accompanied by Yuranigh. We
found him in a profuse perspiration about the chest, (from terror, which
was not, however, obvious in his manner,) and that he had nothing at all
to say to us after all; indeed his language was wholly unintelligible to
my native, who, moreover, apprised me that he was the big bully from the
tribe at our former encampment, then distant some twenty-five miles. He
handled my hat, asked for my watch, my compass, and was about to examine
my pockets, when Yuranigh desired him to desist, in a tone that convinced
him we were not quite at his mercy. I thought he said that the river was
called the "Amby," and something about the "Culgoa!" It then, for the
first time, occurred to me, from a gesture of this man's arm, that this
might be only a tributary to the Culgoa after all. We bade him adieu as
civilly as we could, but he hung upon our rear for a mile or two, and I
perceived that he had brought with him his whole tribe after us. Nothing
more unfortunate can befall an explorer, than to be followed by a wild
tribe like this, as I had experienced in former journies. The gift of the
tomahawk had done all this mischief, and how it would end, was a thought
which caused me some anxiety. The tall savage had set his heart upon our
goods and chattels, and it was not in human nature for him to desist from
his aggressive purpose, if we could not, in some way, contrive to cheek
the pursuit. I knew instinctively, by the first sound of a loud whisper
of his at "Tagando" at night, near our tents, that there was no music in
this man's soul. We soon arrived at a ridge of ferruginous sandstone,
whereof the strike tended S. S. W. and the dip was to the eastward. A
gradual ascent brought us to the verge of a low ridge, which was steep
towards the N. W., and a rocky knoll (of red sand-stone) afforded me a
view of the gap I had seen from Bindango, and hills about it. I
perceived, with great disappointment, that the structure of the country
was not according to my anticipations.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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