Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia, Volume 2: With Descriptions of the Recently Explored Region of Australia Felix, and of the Present Colony of New South WalesMitchell, T. L. (Thomas Livingstone)
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Three Expeditions into the Interior of Eastern Australia, Volume 2: With Descriptions of the Recently Explored Region of Australia Felix, and of the Present Colony of New South Wales
Mitchell, T. L. (Thomas Livingstone)
Australia -- Discovery and exploration; Mitchell, T. L. (Thomas Livingstone), 1792-1855
We heard our new acquaintance cooeying in the bush but we gave no
attention to them and proceeded on our journey. The smooth and verdant
escarp of the river-berg guided us, while the river itself was sometimes
at hand and sometimes four miles off. This day I recognised several
shrubs which I had seen before only on the Darling. At length the berg
terminated altogether in a smooth round hill beyond which lay a low woody
country, intersected by lines of yarra trees in almost every direction. I
thought I perceived in one of these lines the course of the Darling
coming into the extensive valley from the northward; and the old hands
exclaimed, when they saw the bare plains to the north-west of our camp,
that we had got upon the Darling at last. Beyond this valley to the
south-westward I perceived that the bergs of the opposite bank of the
Murray were continuous and advanced to a point about west-south-west.
Upon the whole I was satisfied that we were near the junction of the two
rivers; and we encamped on the lower extremity of the point, already
mentioned, which overlooked a small lagoon and was not above three
hundred yards from an angle of the Murray.
May 31.
I now ventured to take a north-west course in expectation of falling in
with the supposed Darling. We crossed first a plain about two miles in
breadth, when we came to a line of yarra trees which enveloped a dry
creek from the north-east, and very like Clover-creek. We next travelled
over ground chiefly open, and at four miles crossed a sandhill on which
was a covered tomb, after the fashion of those on the Murray. On
descending from the sand-ridge we approached a line of yarra trees which
overhung a reach of green and stagnant water. I had scarcely arrived at
the bank when my attention was drawn to a fire about a hundred yards
before us and from beside which immediately sprung up a numerous tribe of
blacks who began to jump, wring their hands, and shriek, as if in a state
of utter madness or despair.
PIPER AND HIS GIN EXPLAIN.
These savages rapidly retired towards others who were at a fire on a
further part of the bank, but Piper and his gin, going boldly forward,
succeeded at length in getting within hail and in allaying their fears.
SEARCH FOR THE JUNCTION WITH THE MURRAY.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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