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)
History
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
Returning from the junction towards our last camp on the Murray we again
crossed, when within a mile of that position, the dry channel we had seen
on proceeding towards the north-west. It contained some deep lagoons on
which were pelicans, but we crossed it where the bed was quite dry and
where it presented, like many other parts occasionally under water,
striking proofs of the uncertainty of seasons in these parts of
Australia. Numerous dead saplings of eight or ten years growth stood
there, having evidently flourished in that situation until the water
again filled this channel, after so long an interval of drought, and
killed them.
On reaching the firm ground beyond we came upon some old graves which had
been disturbed, as the bones protruded from the earth. Piper said that
the dead were sometimes dug up and eaten; but this I could not believe.
MOUNT LOOKOUT.
By three P.M. we again occupied the remarkable point where we had
formerly encamped. It is at this point (Mount Lookout on the map) that
the berg of the Murray terminates on the basin of the Darling and thus
commands, as before observed, an extensive view over the woody country to
the westward. It would be an important position in any kind of warfare,
and during my operations I felt as strong upon it with my party as if we
had been in a citadel. I had now, I hoped, again got between the junction
tribes and our old enemies, though the latter were still between us and
our depot; and thus any danger of the junction tribes uniting with those
up the Murray was less to be apprehended. Piper however discovered the
track of a considerable number who had proceeded up the river the day
before. Indeed all the tracks of natives he found led upwards and, seeing
no longer any of them there, we felt more anxious about the safety of the
depot.
APPEARANCE OF RAIN. CHANCE OF BEING CUT OFF FROM THE DEPOT BY THE RIVER
FLOODS.
The barometer had been falling gradually from the 1st instant, and this
was another source of anxiety to me; for we were in no small danger of
being separated from the other party by any such rise of the river as
might be expected after a heavy fall of rain.
June 4.
Notwithstanding the unpromising state of the mercurial column the night
had been fair, and in the morning the sky was clear. We lost no time in
moving on and we continued until we were four miles beyond our former
camp; and then crossing Golgol creek we occupied a clear point of land
between it and the Murray.
A SAVAGE MAN AT HOME.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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