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
We pursued a course nearly west for seven miles, having the Lachlan on
our left until we were stopped by a watercourse, or branch of the river,
which crossed our intended route at rightangles. Its banks were steep and
the passage of our waggons was consequently a work of difficulty, but the
best crossing place appeared to be just where it left the main channel.
Here accordingly we cut down the bank on each side with spades and filled
up the soft lowest part of the hollow with stumps and branches of trees,
and all of which being covered with earth from the sides, the carts were
got safely across after about half an hour's work. We soon however came
to another similar watercourse, but by the advice of the natives we
followed it to the northward, and we found that at a short distance it
branched into shallow hollows of polygonum which we traversed without
delay or difficulty. Soon after we had resumed our course by crossing
these hollows, we came upon the main channel which very much resembled
other parts of the Lachlan, only that it was smaller.
A NATIVE CAMP.
Piper's gin came to tell us that there was water ahead, and that natives
were there. We accordingly approached with caution and having found two
ponds of water we encamped beside them, the local name of the situation
being Combedyega.
CHILDREN.
A fire was burning near the water and at it sat a black child about seven
or eight years old, quite blind. All the other natives had fled save one
poor little girl still younger who, notwithstanding the appearance of
such strange beings as we must have seemed to her, and the terror of
those who fled, nevertheless lingered about the bushes and at length took
her seat beside the blind boy. A large supply of the balyan root lay near
them, and a dog so lean as scarcely to be able to stand, drew his feeble
body close up beside the two children as if desirous to defend them. They
formed indeed a miserable group, exhibiting nevertheless instances of
affection and fidelity creditable both to the human and canine species.
An old man came up to the fire afterwards with other children. He told us
the name of the waterholes between that place and the Murrumbidgee, but
he could not be prevailed on to be our guide.
A WIDOW JOINS THE PARTY AS GUIDE.
Subsequently however a gin who was a widow, with the little girl
above-mentioned, whose age might be about four years, was persuaded by
him to accompany us.
HORSE KILLED.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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