Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in North-West and Western Australia, Volume 1Grey, George
History
Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in North-West and Western Australia, Volume 1
Grey, George
Natural history -- Australia -- Western Australia; Western Australia -- Discovery and exploration
We started before dawn, travelling in nearly a straight line across the
country, our compass course being 329 degrees from the north. After we
had made about three miles we reached a swampy lake, called Nirrooba,
covered with wild-fowl. We here halted and prepared our breakfast whilst
the natives went out to hunt. I soon shot a brace of wild ducks, and they
speared nine; I now gave little Ugat my gun, and he brought in four more
ducks, making a total of fifteen. Part of these we cooked, and kept the
remainder for our dinner. I forgot to mention that we yesterday shot
twelve parakeets.
I wandered for some distance about the eastern side of this lake and saw
some very good land, I should say at least fifty acres; and, in addition
to this land of the best quality, there was plenty of good feed for
cattle all round the lake.
DELAY, AND BIVOUACK.
At 2 P.M. we started again in a due north direction and, having proceeded
about four miles, reached a lake called Nowoorgoop. We now changed our
course to north and by west, and, after travelling six miles more, came
to a lake called, by the natives, Beeulengurrinyup; the water was however
so thick and muddy that I determined, although it was getting late, to
proceed further; we therefore changed our course to north and by east,
and after travelling for about four miles more reached another lake,
called Maubeebee. This lake was about three-quarters of a mile long. Mr.
Smith's feet had latterly become so sore that he had been compelled to
tie pieces of kangaroo skin over them, and thus equipped to walk without
his half-boots; and, on coming in to our bivouac, I had the mortification
to hear that, having been put carelessly on the horses, one of these
boots had fallen down; I saw therefore that it would be necessary to let
him and a native go back the next day upon the two horses we had with us
for the purpose of finding it. To Europeans it would seem rather a
visionary task to travel twelve or fourteen miles in a trackless forest
in the hope of recovering a boot, but the natives' eyes are so keen that
their finding it amounted to a matter of certainty.
LOVELY BIVOUACK.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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