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 — John Shaqi
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
At the camp we recognised among the natives seated at our fire two of our
friends from the Bogan. Their little shovel of hard wood (not used on the
Lachlan) and one of the tomahawks formerly distributed by us left no room
to doubt whether we were right about their features.
PROPHECY OF A CORADJE.
One was an old man and a Coradje, the other was a boy. They disappeared
in the evening, but the Coradje was so far civil as to tell the men that,
having heard The Major was praying for rain, he had caused the late fall.
This priest had also prophesied a little for our information, telling the
men that a day was at hand when two of them would go out to watch the
bullocks and would never return.
April 4.
The surface being sufficiently dry to enable us to travel we accordingly
continued our journey and, crossing the Goobang at 5 1/4 miles, we kept
the right bank of it during the day. The surface on that side was dry and
firm; and it may be remarked that if ever it becomes desirable to open a
line of communication from Sydney towards the country on the lower part
of the Murray, the right bank of the Goobang will probably be found the
best direction as the adjacent valley affords both grass and water for
the passage of cattle, and the doubtful plains of the Lachlan may be thus
avoided.
POISONED WATERHOLE.
We finally encamped on the Lachlan at the junction of the Goobang, in
latitude 33 degrees 5 minutes 20 seconds; longitude East 147 degrees 13
minutes 10 seconds. There the river contained some deep pools and we
expected to catch fish; but Piper told us that the holes had been
recently poisoned, a process adopted by the natives in dry seasons, when
the river no longer flows, for bringing the fish to the surface of deep
ponds and thus killing the whole; I need not add that none of us got a
bite. All these holes were full of recently cut boughs of the eucalyptus,
so that the water was tinged black.
ASCEND HURD'S PEAK.
April 5.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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