Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in North-West and Western Australia, Volume 2Grey, George
History
Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in North-West and Western Australia, Volume 2
Grey, George
Natural history -- Australia -- Western Australia; Western Australia -- Discovery and exploration
Previous however to putting this plan into execution, it was considered
advisable to visit the beach again, fifteen or sixteen miles distant, on
doing which next morning, with Mr. Spofforth and Warrup, we had the
satisfaction to find the feet-marks of five men on the sand, taking a
southerly direction. Warrup having pronounced them to be without doubt
the footsteps of white men, and not more than two or three days old, we
followed them eagerly along the shore for a mile, and then came to an
empty cask that had been washed on shore, together with several broken
bottles and a stone jar. On further examination part of the head of the
cask was found much cut with a knife, as if used for a plate, and near
the extinct embers of a small fire lay the bones of a fish, which Warrup
concluded had been picked on the morning of the previous day. Rejoiced at
having now got upon the right track, and being unwilling to lose time by
following it up from this spot, we took a good look round and returned to
our camp at Bookernyup by sunset, from whence we next morning started
early in a southerly direction, took up safely everything we had
concealed on the Moore River, and shortly after dark had completed 24
miles to a place called Kadjelup, where we halted on some deep pools
similar to those at Barrumbur.
Breakfasting early on the 15th, the baggage was despatched forward to
Neergabby, and at daybreak Mr. Spofforth, Kinchela (a private of the 21st
regiment) and Warrup accompanied me on horseback to the beach, which we
found eleven miles off, but to our great disappointment a very high tide
had totally obliterated all marks from the sand and left us in perplexity
and doubt. Concluding however that the missing party must be in advance
of us, and that they could not fail to observe the papers which had been
offered to their notice at the mouth of the Garban River, we turned our
steps that way; left a paper of directions in the event of their being
behind us, and carefully examined both beach and sandhills, as well as
the country immediately in rear of them. Twelve miles brought us to the
mouth of the river, and there we found everything as we had placed
it--not a mark near the beach except the footsteps of the native dog
prowling about the sandhills, and nothing which could lead to a belief
that the spot had been visited since we last left it. Somewhat
disappointed, although rejoicing in having now hemmed the unfortunate
absentees up into a narrow limit, within which we knew they MUST be
wandering towards Perth, we joined our party at Neergabby shortly after
dark, and observed on our way the traces of five natives who were
confidently said by Warrup to be Perth natives, sent to look after us
with intelligence. They had come along the coast from the south as far as
the mouth of the river, and had struck inland to the south-east on their
return. The conclusions of this intelligent lad on the occasion were
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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