The Explorers (34 page)

They remained with us the whole afternoon, all the tribe and many visitors, in all about seventy persons, squatting down with crossed legs in the narrow shades of the trunks of trees, and shifting their position as the sun advanced. Their wives were out in search of food but many of their children were with them, which they duly introduced to us. They were fine, stout, well-made men, with pleasing and intelligent countenances. One or two attempts were made to rob us of some trifles; but I was careful; and we avoided the unpleasant necessity of showing any discontent on that head. As it grew late and they became hungry, they rose, and explained that they were under the necessity of leaving us, to go and satisfy their hunger; but that they would shortly return, and admire, and talk again.

They went to the digging ground, about half a mile in the plain, where the boys were collecting
allamurr
, and brought us a good supply of it; in return for which various presents were made to them. We became very fond of this little tuber: and I dare say the feast of
allamurr
with Eooanberry's and Minorelli's tribe will long remain in the recollection of my companions. They brought us also a thin grey snake, about four feet long, which they put on the coals and roasted. It was poisonous, and was called
yullo
. At nightfall, after filling their coolamons with water, there being none at their camp, they took their leave, and retired to their camping place on the opposite hill where a plentiful dinner awaited them. They were very urgent in inviting us to accompany them and, by way of inducement, most unequivocally offered us their sable partners.

We had to take great care of our bullock, as the beast invariably charged the natives whenever he obtained a sight of them, and he would alone have prevented their attacking us; for the whole tribe were so much afraid of him that, upon our calling out, ‘The bullock,' they were immediately ready to bolt—with the exception of Eooanberry and Minorelli, who looked to us for protection. I had not, however, the slightest fear and apprehension of any treachery on the part of the natives; for my frequent intercourse with the natives of Australia had taught me to distinguish easily between the smooth tongue of deceit, with which they try to ensnare their victim, and the open expression of kind and friendly feelings, or those of confidence and respect. I remember several instances of the most cold-blooded smoothtongued treachery, and of the most extraordinary gullibility of the natives; but I am sure that a careful observer is more than a match for these simple children of nature, and that he can easily read the bad intention in their unsteady, greedy, glistening eyes.

Dec. 3—The natives visited us very early in the morning, with their wives and children, whom they introduced to us. There could not have been less than 200 of them present; they were all well made, active, generally well-looking, with an intelligent countenance: they had in fact all the characters of the coast blacks of a good country, but without their treacherous dispositions. I started in a north-east direction and, as we were accompanied by the natives, I led our bullock by the nose-rope behind my horse. After crossing a plain, we were stopped by a large sheet of salt water, about three or four miles broad, at the opposite side of which a low range was visible; when Eooanberry explained that we had to go far to the south-east and south, before we could cross the river, and that we had to follow it down again at the other side. He expressed his great attachment to his wife and child, and obtained leave of us to return to his tribe, which had already retired before him.

Seeing the necessity of heading the river, which I considered to be the East Alligator—the longitude of which was, where we first came to it, 132° 40' according to reckoning—I returned to the forest land, and travelled along its belt of pandanus, to obtain a better ground for our cattle, and to avoid the scorching heat of the forenoon sun. Observing some singularly formed mountains rising abruptly out of the plains and many pillars of smoke behind them, I tried to get to them, but was again prevented by the broad salt water. We now steered for a distant smoke to the south-east by east, and had travelled fully seventeen miles on or along extensive plains, when we perceived seven natives returning on a beaten footpath from the salt water to the forest.

We cooeed—they ran! But when we had passed, and Charley stopped behind alone, they came up to him and, having received some presents, they showed us some miserable wells between two tea-tree groves; after which they hastened home. Our cattle were tired and thirsty, but we could give them nothing to drink except about six quarts of brackish water which fell to the share of our bullock. The feed, however, was rich and young, and during the night a heavy dew was deposited. Many flocks of geese came flying low over the plains, which made us hope that water was not very distant. Whilst we were passing the head of a small mangrove creek, four native dogs started out of a shady hole; but we looked in vain for fresh water…

Dec. 4—The natives returned very early to our camp. I went up to them and made them some presents, in return for which they offered me bunches of goose feathers, and the roasted leg of a goose, which they were pleased to see me eat with a voracious appetite. I asked for
allamurr
, and they expressed themselves sorry in not having any left, and gave us to understand that they would supply us, if we would stay a day. Neither these natives nor the tribe of Eooanberry would touch our green hide or meat: they took it, but could not overcome their repugnance, and tried to drop it without being seen by us. Poor fellows! They did not know how gladly we should have received it back! They were the stoutest and fattest men we had met.

We travelled at first to the east, in the direction from which the geese had come last night, but arriving at ridges covered with scrubby forest we turned to the north-east and continued in that direction about seven miles and a half, over ironstone ridges, when we again entered upon the plains of the river. Mountains and columns of smoke were seen all along its northern banks, but we afterwards found that most of those supposed columns of smoke were dust raised by whirlwinds. We now followed the river until a vine brush approached close to its bank, into the cool shade of which our bullock rushed and lay down, refusing to go any farther; our packhorse and most of our riding horses were also equally tired. The bed of the river had become very narrow, and the water was not quite brine, which made me hope that we should soon come to fresh water. Charley, Brown and John had gone into the brush to a camp of flying-foxes, and returned with twelve, which we prepared for luncheon, which allowed our bullock time to recover. They gave an almost incredible account of the enormous numbers of flying-foxes, all clustering round the branches of low trees, which drooped by the weight so near to the ground that the animals could easily be killed by cudgels. The seaforthia palm raised its elegant crown far above the patches of vine brush which we passed at the river side of the ridges.

After a delay of two hours, we again started, and travelled in a due south direction towards some thick smoke rising between two steep and apparently isolated rocky hills: they were about four miles distant and, when we arrived at their base, we enjoyed the pleasing sight of large lagoons surrounded with mangrove myrtles (
Stravadium
), with pandanus, and with a belt of reeds and nelumbiums. Man, horse and bullock rushed most eagerly into the fine water, determined to make up for the privation and suffering of the three last days. The lagoons were crowded with geese and, as the close vegetation allowed a near approach, Brown made good use of the few slugs that were still left, and shot ten of them, which allowed a goose to every man; a great treat to my hungry party.

Dec. 5—I determined upon stopping for a day, to allow our cattle to recover. Everybody was anxious to procure geese or flying-foxes; and, whilst three of my companions went to the flying-fox camp which we had visited yesterday, loaded with ironstone pebbles for shot, and full of the most sanguine expectations, Brown was busy at the lagoons, and even Mr Roper stirred to try his good luck. The two met with a party of natives, who immediately retreated at sight of Mr Roper; but during the afternoon they came to the other side of the lagoon opposite to our camp, and offered us some fish, a silurus and a tench (?) which they had speared in the lagoons.
^†

I made a sign for them to come over and to receive, as presents in exchange, some small pieces of iron, tin canisters and leather belts, which they did; but they became exceedingly noisy, and one of them, an old rogue, tried to possess himself quietly and openly of everything he saw, from my red blanket to the spade and stew pot. I consequently sent Brown for a horse, whose appearance quickly sent them to the other side of the lagoon, where they remained until nightfall. Brown offered them half a goose, which, however, they refused, probably because it was not prepared by themselves, as they were very desirous of getting some of the geese which we had not yet cooked. Brown had shot nine geese, and our fox hunters returned with forty-four of the small species…

Dec. 6—The natives visited us again this morning, and it was evident that they had not been with their gins. They invited us to come to their camp, but I wished to find a crossing place and, after having tried in vain to pass at the foot of the rocky hills, we found a passage between the lagoons, and entered into a most beautiful valley, bounded on the west, east and south by abrupt hills, ranges and rocks rising abruptly out of an almost treeless plain clothed with the most luxuriant verdure, and diversified by large nymphaea lagoons, and a belt of trees along the creek which meandered through it. The natives now became our guides, and pointed out to us a sound crossing place of the creek, which proved to be the head of the saltwater branch of the East Alligator River. We observed a great number of long conical fish and crab traps at the crossing place of the creek and in many of the tributary saltwater channels; they were made apparently of flagellaria.

Here I took leave of our guides, the leader of whom appeared to be Apirk, a young and slender, but an intelligent and most active man. We now travelled again to the northward, following the outline of the rocky ridges at the right side of the creek and, having again entered upon the plains, we encamped at a very broad, shallow, sedgy, boggy lagoon…

Dec 7—Apirk, with seven other natives, visited us again in the morning, and it seemed that they had examined the camp we had last left. They gave us to understand that we could travel safely to the northward without meeting any other creek. Apirk carried a little pointed stick, and a flat piece of wood with a small hole in it, for the purpose of obtaining fire. I directed my course to a distant mountain, due north from the camp, and travelled seven or eight miles over a large plain, which was composed of a rich dark soil, and clothed with a great variety of excellent grasses. We saw many columns of dust raised by whirlwinds and again mistook them for the smoke of so many fires of the natives. But we soon observed that they moved in a certain direction, and that new columns rose as those already formed drew off; and when we came nearer and passed between them, it seemed as if the giant spirits of the plain were holding a stately corroboree around us. They originated on a patch of ground divested of its vegetation by a late fire. There was a belt of forest to the northward, and the current of the sea breeze coming up the valley of the river from
NNW
seemed to eddy round the forest, and to whirl the unsheltered loose earth into the air…

At this time we were all sadly distressed with boils and with a prickly heat; early lancing of the former saved much pain. The cuts and sores of the hands festered quickly, but this depended much more on the want of cleanliness than anything else. A most dangerous enemy grew up amongst us in the irresistible impatience to come to the end of our journey; and I cannot help considering it a great blessing that we did not meet with natives who knew the settlement of Port Essington at an earlier part of our journey, or I am afraid we should have been exposed to the greatest misery, if not destruction, by an inconsiderate, thoughtless desire of pushing onward.

Dec. 8—…We encamped at a fine lagoon, occupied, as usual, with geese and ducks, and teeming with large fish, which were splashing about during the whole night. The situation of these lagoons was, by an observation of Castor, in latitude 12° 6' 2”, and about nine miles north-west from our last camp. Immediately after our arrival, Brown went to shoot some geese, and met with two natives who were cooking some roots, but they withdrew in great haste as soon as they saw him. Soon afterwards, however, a great number of them came to the opposite side of the lagoon, and requested a parley.

I went down to them with some presents, and a young man came over in a canoe to meet me. I gave him a tin canister, and was agreeably surprised that the stock of English words increased considerably, that very few things we had were new to him, and that he himself had been at the settlement. His name was Bilge. He called me Commandant, and presented several old men to me under the same title. Several natives joined us, either using the canoe or swimming across the lagoon and, after having been duly introduced to me, I took four of them to the camp, where they examined everything with great intelligence, without expressing the least desire of possessing it.

They were the most confiding, intelligent, inquisitive natives I had ever met before. Bilge himself took me by the hand and went to the different horses, and to the bullock and asked their names and who rode them. The natives had always been very curious to know the names of our horses, and repeated ‘Jim Crow', ‘Flourbag', ‘Caleb', ‘Irongrey', as well as they could, with the greatest merriment. Bilge frequently mentioned ‘Devil devil', in referring to the bullock, and I think he alluded to the wild buffaloes, the tracks of which we soon afterwards saw. We asked him for
allamurr
, and they expressed their readiness to bring it, as soon as the children and women, who both went under the denomination of piccaninnies, returned to the camp. The day being far advanced, and their camp a good way off, they left us, after inviting us to accompany them: but this I declined.