Journals of Expeditions of Discovery into Central Australia and Overland from Adelaide to King George's Sound in the Years 1840-1: Sent By the Colonists of South Australia, with the Sanction and Support of the Government: Including an Account of the Manners and Customs of the Aborigines and the State of Their Relations with Europeans — Volume 01Eyre, Edward John
History
Journals of Expeditions of Discovery into Central Australia and Overland from Adelaide to King George's Sound in the Years 1840-1: Sent By the Colonists of South Australia, with the Sanction and Support of the Government: Including an Account of the Manners and Customs of the Aborigines and the State of Their Relations with Europeans — Volume 01
Eyre, Edward John
Australia -- Discovery and exploration; Ethnology -- Australia
The day was cloudy and gathering for rain, but none fell. After
travelling twenty-five miles we halted for an hour or two to rest the
sheep and horses, feeding was out of the question, for they were too much
in want of water to attempt to cat the dry and withered grass around us.
We now lay down to rest ourselves, and the boy soon fell asleep; I was
however feverish and restless, and could not close my eyes. In an hour
and a half I arose, got up the horses and saddled them, and then, awaking
my companion, we again pushed on by moonlight. At ten miles we crossed a
well beaten native pathway, plainly discernible even then, and this we
followed down towards the cliffs, fully hoping it would lead to water.
Our hopes however had been excited but to render our disappointment the
greater, for upon tracing it onwards we found it terminate abruptly at a
large circular hole of limestone rock, which would retain a considerable
quantity of water after rains, but was now without a single drop.
Gloomily turning away we again pushed on for eight miles further, and at
three in the morning of the 10th were compelled to halt from downright
exhaustion and fatigue. The horses and sheep were knocked up. The poor
boy was so tired and sleepy that he could scarcely sit upon his horse,
and I found myself actually dosing as I walked: mechanically my legs kept
moving forwards, but my eyes were every now and then closed in
forgetfulness of all around me, until I was suddenly thrown down by
getting entangled amongst the scrub, or aroused by a severe blow across
the face from the recoil of a bough after the passage of the boy's horse.
I now judged we had come about ninety-three miles from Yeerkumban-kauwe,
and hoped that we could not be very far from water. Having tied up the
horses for an hour or two, and without making a fire, or even unrolling
our cloaks to cover us, we stretched ourselves on the ground, and were in
a few moments fast asleep.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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