The Australian Explorers: Their Labours, Perils, and Achievements: Being a Narrative of Discovery from the Landing of Captain Cook to the Centennial YearGrimm, George
History
The Australian Explorers: Their Labours, Perils, and Achievements: Being a Narrative of Discovery from the Landing of Captain Cook to the Centennial Year
Grimm, George
Australia -- Discovery and exploration; Explorers -- Australia
were compelled to travel three or four days without getting a mouthful.
With only one exception, none had been found but in the sand-hills for
the distance of 800 miles, and how hard it was to reach it there has
already been described. Even the dew on the sparse patches of grass was
put in requisition, as may be learned from the following extract from
the journal of the expedition:--"Leaving the overseer to search for the
horses, which had strayed, I took a sponge and went to try to collect
some of the dew which was hanging in spangles on the grass and shrubs.
Brushing these with the sponge, I squeezed it, when saturated, into a
quart-pot, which in an hour's time I filled with water. The native boys
were occupied in the same way, and, by using a handful of fine grass
instead of a sponge, they collected about a quart among them. Having
taken the water to the camp and made it into tea, we divided it amongst
the party, and never was a meal more truly relished, although we ate the
last morsel of bread we had with us, and none knew when we might again
enjoy either a drink of water or a mouthful of bread. We had now
demonstrated the practicability of collecting water from the dew. I had
often heard from the natives that they were in the habit of practising
this plan, but had never before actually witnessed its adoption."
But the climax was yet to come. To privations and difficulties the crime
of treachery and murder was now to be added. Two of the blacks proved
unfaithful, and shot the overseer, Baxter, in cold blood, apparently for
the purpose of deserting with as much of the provisions as they could
lay hands on, perhaps after the murder of the leader himself. The words
in which Eyre describes the anguish of his situation exceed the highest
efforts of tragedy, and show how fact may become stranger than fiction.
"The night was cold, and the wind blowing hard from the south-west,
whilst scud and nimbus were passing very rapidly by the moon. The horses
fed tolerably well, but rambled a good deal, threading in and out among
the many belts of scrub which intersected the grassy openings, until I
scarcely knew exactly where our camp was, the fires having apparently
expired some time ago. It was now half-past ten, and I headed the horses
back in the direction in which I thought the camp lay, that I might be
ready to call the overseer to relieve me at eleven. Whilst thus engaged
and looking steadfastly around among the scrub to see if I could
anywhere detect the embers of our fires, I was startled by a sudden
flash, followed by the report of a gun, not a quarter of a mile away
from me. Imagining that the overseer had mistaken the hour of the night,
and not being able to find me or the horses had taken that method to
attract my attention, I immediately called out, but no answer was
returned. I got alarmed, and, leaving the horses, hurried up towards the
camp as rapidly as I could. About a hundred yards from it I met the King
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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