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 — John Shaqi
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
Nov. 26.--When we were waiting for our bullocks, four emus came trotting
down the slope towards the camp. Messrs. Gilbert, Roper, Murphy, and
Brown, having their horses ready, gave chase, and, after a dangerous
gallop, over extremely rocky ground, succeeded, with the assistance of
our kangaroo dog, Spring, in securing one of them. When Charley returned
to the camp with the bullocks, he told us that he had found these emus
walking amongst the bullocks, and that he had struck one of them with his
tomahawk. On our road to the water, which I had found on my
reconnoisance, about seven miles W.N.W., under a still higher range,
rising at the right of Robinson's Creek, we started a herd of eight
kangaroos, when our horsemen, assisted by Spring, were again successful
in taking one of them.
Nov. 27.--A thunder-storm during the night, which passed, however, to the
other side of the range. After a gust of wind of short duration, we had
some very light showers; so light indeed, as not to interrupt our
meat-drying process.
Proceeding on our journey, we ascended the range, and travelled between
four and five miles on its level summit, which was covered with open
forest, interspersed with thickets of Acacias and Casuarinas. From the
extremity of the range we enjoyed a very fine and extensive view. Ranges
of mountains with conspicuous peaks, cupolas, and precipitous walls of
rock, were observed extending at various distances from west by north to
north-west. The most distant range was particularly striking and
imposing; I called it "Expedition Range," and to a bell-shaped mountain
bearing N. 68 degrees W., I gave the name of "Mount Nicholson," in honour
of Dr. Charles Nicholson, who first introduced into the Legislative
Council of New South Wales, the subject of an overland expedition to Port
Essington; and to a sharp peak N. 66 degrees W., the name of "Aldis's
Peak," in acknowledgment of the kind assistance received from Mr. Aldis
of Sydney. We then descended, with great difficulty into a broad valley,
bounded on either side by fine slopes and ridges, openly timbered with
silver-leaved Ironbark. On the small well-grassed flats along the
watercourse, the flooded-gum and apple-trees grew to a considerable size.
The morning was cloudy, with occasional drops of rain; but it cleared up
towards noon, and, near sunset, a wall of dark clouds rose in the west,
over the ranges. Thunder-storms very generally come with westerly cloudy
weather, with north-westerly, and northerly winds. We busied ourselves in
extracting the oil from the skin of the emu: this operation was performed
by suspending it on sticks before a gentle fire, the oil dripping from it
into a shallow vessel. It is of a light amber colour, and is very useful
in oiling the locks of our fire-arms; it has been considered a good
anti-rheumatic, and I occasionally used it for that purpose.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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