John Lort Stokes

“ The whistling duck of the Adelaide River, was also only seen on this part of the Victoria.
After proceeding north-east one mile and a half, and east two miles, we came to a pretty little islet covered with palms and acacias, and rich long grass. Numbers of large white waterlilies grew on its banks. The river was now only an eighth of a mile wide, and two fathoms deep. This still promised well. Scarcely, however, had we indulged in the hope that the Victoria might yet convey the boats many miles into the interior, when a shoal appeared. ”

“ Every living thing is terrified at the sight of man. This reach of the Victoria enabled Mr. Bynoe to add two new birds to his collection; one, a species of pigeon, but resembling a small quail in its habits and size; the cerae of the nose, the beak and the feet, were a pigeon's, but the flight and the manner of running along the ground, where it kept, were those of a quail. It was found in small families of eight or a dozen, very wild and scarce, and was only seen in this part of the river. ”

“ I availed myself of the opportunity of our halt at this place to wash my only suit, piece by piece, and afterwards made a sketch of the north-eastern part of Wickham Heights from the dry flat in the reach. The woodcut annexed will convey at once to the reader, those singular features in the hills—the low line of cliffs resembling fortifications near their summit, and, still more remarkable, the horizontal black streaks near their base. ”

“ We crossed the river, or rather over its bed—a patch of stones—and found some shells of the water-tortoise at the remains of a native fire on the bank: we named the reach Tortoise Reach, in consequence. Here too Mr. Bynoe added some rare and beautiful specimens of finches to his collection.
The cool north-west wind had now deserted us, and though yet scarcely nine o'clock a.m. the thermometer stood at 105°. I had again the good fortune to shoot a kangaroo: it was a long cross-shot, the animal going at speed. ”

“ Just before dark we came upon a native village, near the foot of a bare rocky hill, having a northern aspect, and lying about one mile south-west of the river. It contained thirteen huts of paper-bark, standing in a bare stony plain, and with no signs of being at this time inhabited. We found here considerable difficulty in forcing our way through the tall and thickly growing reeds which lined the bank. The next reach in the river trended N.W. for about a mile, and then turned off N.N.E. at the foot of a high rocky range. ”

“ Kangaroos were numerous on the banks, as we entered the plain, and during the day were to be seen in numbers under the bushes near the water's edge. I added one to our stock of fresh provisions, which with alligator steaks and ducks, gave us a good supply to share with the other boats. We named this part of the river Long Reach, from its carrying us nine miles in a direct course, with a general width of a quarter of a mile, and a depth of two and three fathoms. ”

“ The thermometer was 101° at noon in the shade. I shot some very large dark-coloured ducks in the afternoon. Kangaroos were numerous. The water was fresh soon after passing Palm Island.
That we were thus finally deterred from proceeding farther with the boats, was a source of deep mortification. Since the great flat we had experienced so much difficulty in getting over yesterday, all had gone well. Each turn in the river appeared more beautiful, and brought something new to increase our interest; and we fondly imagined that great discoveries were in store for us. ”

“ It happened that to-day I was in excellent practice, and had just hit a large wild dog, a long shot, making him jump high off the ground; but this beast is as tenacious of life as a cat, and instead of falling dead, he limped off and escaped. But to resume: I fired, and never heard a ball strike with more satisfaction in my life. It laid the alligator sprawling, feet uppermost. ”

“ The bed of the river at this place, though partly dry, was wider than we had hitherto seen it, and the trees upon its banks still showed evident signs of being washed by a mountain torrent. After making a set of observations for long., we started again at 3 o'clock p.m. taking a north-west direction over a flat of tolerably fine light mould. Near here a party of natives crossed the river, in the direction of those we had first seen: perhaps to effect a junction of forces and demand the meaning of our strange intrusion. ”

“ Continuing in a more easterly direction in order to avoid the deep watercourses near the banks, we found the country wore a much less arid appearance, and changing our direction to N.N.W. in order to ascend some high ranges distant two miles and a half, overlooking the east bank of the river, we came suddenly upon some native tracks, and presently surprised two children, who scampered down the bank in very natural alarm, and were soon lost among the tall reeds. ”

“ Two miles further brought us into a fine open plain, over which two emus were going best pace; we therefore named it in their honour: while the valley to the southward was christened after the Beagle, and the ranges on either side bore the names of her former and present commander: those to the north-east and south-west were called, after the officers who accompanied me, Forsyth and Bynoe Ranges. The soil on Emu Plains was far superior to any we had seen since leaving the boat, and was lightly and picturesquely timbered with the white gum. ”

“ Forsyth to get some bearings from an elevation on the north side of the river. Towards the south-east we perceived a very decided break in the hills, through which I hoped to trace the course of the Victoria, that being the direction of the centre of this vast continent: in this however we were disappointed, for the river turned short round to the north-east. The banks were so high, and so thickly covered with tall reeds, that it was only by the very green appearance of the trees about its banks that its course could be made out. The temperature at one p.m. ”

“ We were very cautious in choosing our sleeping berth for the night, to avoid a surprise during the dark; we therefore selected a friendly hollow beneath the stem of a straggling and drooping old gumtree, large enough to conceal the whole party, near the centre of a great patch of pebbles, with the river, on one side, within a hundred yards of us, and on the other, distant about three hundred. ”

“ We found only one boat at Reach Hopeless, Captain Wickham having gone down the river with the others in order to hasten the watering party. In another chapter will be found some more detailed remarks upon the peculiar and distinctive character of the Victoria; they will not be uninteresting to the reader who feels any of that curiosity which is in part an incitement to the discoverer. ”

“ November 6.—It being evidently impracticable to proceed higher up in the boats; a small party of us landed at daylight, in order to ascend a neighbouring height, and thence to trace as far as possible the upward course of the river, preparatory to a pedestrian excursion along its banks. Before sunrise we reached the summit of a narrow ridge, trending E.S.E. 1⁄2 a mile east, from where the boats were lying: in this singular ridge I again noticed the dip to the south-east: it was composed of a variety of rocks, jasper, a greyish kind of flinty indifferent limestone, and greywacke. ”

“ November 9.—We started early the following morning, after having obtained a set of bearings, and followed the bank of the river to the north-west for half a mile, then forded it and took a north-easterly direction, passing close to the foot of some hills forming the south side of the valley of the river, which at this place is scarcely a mile wide. High tableland formed the west side of it, and low broken ranges trending east, bounded it in that direction. ”

“ Mr. Forsyth accompanied me. We landed nearly opposite the rugged ridge I have before mentioned, for a few angles and bearings. Here we found two native rafts of precisely the same construction as those we had previously seen on the North-west coast, formed out of nine poles. The shape the reader will remember from the sketch in that part of the work, and with the exception of only two instances, where they appeared merely temporary affairs, we have noticed no other kind of rafts in use. ”

“ The country just here was so thickly wooded that I was obliged to climb a tree in order to get the bearings. We noticed some very curious black horizontal streaks on the hills in our immediate vicinity. ”

“ Breadth across the animal, from extreme of one fore foot, across the shoulders to the other side, 5 feet 2 inches. The fore feet have each five perfect toes; the three inner or first, have long horny nails, slightly curved ”