Journal of an Overland Expedition in Australia: From Moreton Bay to Port Essington, a distance of upwards of 3000 miles, during the years 1844-1845Leichhardt, Ludwig
History
Journal of an Overland Expedition in Australia: From Moreton Bay to Port Essington, a distance of upwards of 3000 miles, during the years 1844-1845
Leichhardt, Ludwig
Australia -- Description and travel; Australia -- Discovery and exploration
Oct. 17.--The ground was too heavy and boggy to permit us to start
yesterday; besides, three horses were absent, and could not be found.
Last night, Mr. Roper brought in three ducks and a pigeon, and was
joyfully welcomed by all hands. Charley had been insolent several times,
when I sent him out after the cattle, and, this morning, he even
threatened to shoot Mr. Gilbert. I immediately dismissed him from our
service, and took from him all the things which he held on condition of
stopping with us. The wind continued from the west and south-west.
Oct. 18.--Towards evening Charley came and begged my pardon. I told him
that he had particularly offended Mr. Gilbert, and that I could not think
of allowing him to stay, if Mr. Gilbert had the slightest objection to
it: he, therefore, addressed himself to Mr. Gilbert, and, with his
consent, Charley entered again into our service. John Murphy and Caleb,
the American negro, went to a creek, which Mr. Hodgson had first seen,
when out on a RECONNOISSANCE to the northward, in order to get some game.
John had been there twice before, and it was not four miles distant:
they, however, did not return, and, at nine o'clock at night, we heard
firing to the north-east. We answered by a similar signal, but they did
not come in. I sent Mr. Hodgson and Charley to bring them back. If they
had simply given the bridle to their horses, they would have brought them
back without delay; but probably both got bewildered.
The latitude of this lagoon, which I called Kent's Lagoon, after F. Kent,
Esq., is 26 degrees 42 minutes 30 seconds. We tried to obtain opossums,
during the clear moonlight night, but only caught the common rabbit-rat.
Our horses go right into the scrub, to get rid of the little flies, which
torment them. The weather is very fair; the regular westerly breeze,
during the day, is setting in again: the dew is very abundant during
clear nights: the morning very cold; the water of the lagoon 8 degrees to
10 degrees warmer than the air.
We have regularly balanced our loads, and made up every bag of flour to
the weight of 120 pounds: of these we have eight, which are to be carried
by four bullocks. The chocolate and the gelatine are very acceptable at
present, as so little animal food can be obtained. The country continues
to be extremely boggy, though the weather has been fine, with high winds,
for the last four days. Tracks of Blackfellows have been seen; but they
appear rare and scattered in this part of the country. Though we meet
with no game, tracks of kangaroos are very numerous, and they frequently
indicate animals of great size. Emus have been seen twice.
Thermometer at sunset 65 degrees 7 minutes (75 degrees in the water); at
a quarter past one, 90 degrees. South-westerly winds.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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