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
The Blackfellows told us, that they had caught a ring-tailed opossum, and
had seen a black kangaroo with a white point at the end of the tail.
Brown brought the fruit of a tree, which, according to his account, had
the simple pinnate-leaf of the red cedar (Credela) with a dark
purple-coloured fruit half an inch long, and one inch in diameter, with a
thin astringent pericarp: the stony seed-vessel consisted of many
carpels, which, if I remember rightly, were monosperme. It belongs
probably to an Ebenaceous tree.
The wood-duck (Bernicla jubata) abounded on the larger water-holes which
we passed; and the swamp-pheasant (Centropus Phasianus, GOULD) was heard
several times among the trees surrounding the grassy hollows.
The smoke of extensive bush-fires was observed under Lord's Table Range,
and along the western and south-western ranges. As we approached the
place of our encampment of the 12th February, some Blackfellows were
bathing in the water-hole, but fled as soon as we made our appearance.
The night of the 8th February was cloudy, with a little rain, which
continued to the morning of the 9th, but cleared up at noon, and the
weather became very hot. During the afternoon, thunder-storms passed to
the north and north-west, and also to the east and east-south-east. On
the 10th, thunder-storms again surrounded us on all sides, and from one,
which broke over us in the night, a heavy shower fell. The night of the
11th was exceedingly cold; and the night breeze was observed to be less
regular than formerly.
We were here very much troubled with a small black ant; infesting our
provisions during the day and running over our persons, and biting us
severely at night. A large yellow hornet with two black bands over the
abdomen, was seen, humming about the water-holes. A crow was shot and
roasted, and found to be exceedingly tender, which we considered to be a
great discovery; and lost no opportunity of shooting as many as we could,
in order to lessen the consumption of our dried meat. We again enjoyed
some fine messes of Portulaca.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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