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
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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
The high mountain ranges, at the head of Robinson's Creek, which we
observed from the tops of the hills, at the entrance into the mountainous
country, bore W.N.W., and N.W. from the position I now occupied. We had a
thunder-storm on the 21st November, followed by continued rain and a
perfect calm During the night occasional showers of rain fell; at sunrise
light fleecy clouds from W.N.W.: the nights, when clear, were very cold.
Until very lately we had all suffered severely from diarrhoea, which I
could not account for, othewise than by attributing it to our change of
diet. Fresh meat had almost invariably affected us; but after a time our
continued exposure to the air, the regularity of our movements, and
constant state of exertion, rendered us more hardy, and sharpened our
appetites. Iguanas, opossums, and birds of all kinds, had for some time
past been most gladly consigned to our stewing-pot, neither good, bad,
nor indifferent being rejected. The dried kangaroo meat, one of our
luxuries, differed very little in flavour from the dried beef, and both,
after long stewing, afforded us an excellent broth, to which we generally
added a little flour. It is remarkable how soon man becomes indifferent
to the niceties of food; and, when all the artificial wants of society
have dropped off, the bare necessities of life form the only object of
his desires.
One of our bullocks had torn one of the flour-bags, and about fifteen
pounds of flour were scattered over the ground. We all set to work, to
scrape as much of it up as we could, using the dry gum leaves as spoons
to collect it; and, when it got too dirty to mix again with our flour,
rather than leave so much behind, we collected about six pounds of it
well mixed with dried leaves and dust, and of this we made a porridge,--a
mess which, with the addition of some gelatine, every one of us enjoyed
highly.
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