CHAPTER 6. HANOVER BAY AND ITS VICINITY.

NATIVES SEEN.

Sunday December 17.

This morning directly after breakfast I read prayers to the men, and then commenced my preparations for the excursion on which I intended to start in the evening. Whilst I was occupied in arranging my papers Mr. Lushington observed two natives sitting on the rocks on the top of the cliffs which overlooked the valley, and gazing down intently on us. The instant that he made friendly signs to them they rose from their seats and began to retreat. Some of the party then called to them and one of the natives answered; but they still moved rapidly away. I would not allow them to be followed for fear of increasing their alarm, and in the hope that they would return, but was disappointed. It must have awakened strange feelings in the breast of these two savages, who could never before have seen civilized man, thus to have sat spectators and overlookers of the every action of such incomprehensible beings as we must have appeared; and the relation to their comrades of the wonders they had witnessed could not have been to them a whit less marvellous than the tales of the grey-headed Irish peasant, when he recounts the freaks of the fairies, "whose midnight revels by the forest side or fountain" he has watched intently from some shrub-clad hill.

COMMENCEMENT OF FIRST EXCURSION.

I started in the evening, accompanied by Corporal John Coles and Private R. Mustard, both of the corps of Royal Sappers and Miners, and for a short distance by two or three others of the party from the camp. We moved up the ravine in which we were encamped in a nearly due south direction, and after following this course about a mile turned up a branch ravine to the left, bearing 87 degrees from the north.

CHARACTER OF THE SCENERY. GEOLOGICAL PHENOMENA.

The romantic scenery of this narrow glen could not be surpassed. Its width at bottom was not more than forty or fifty feet, on each side rose cliffs of sandstone between three and four hundred feet high and nearly perpendicular; lofty paper-bark trees grew here and there, and down the middle ran a beautiful stream of clear, cool water, which now gushed along, a murmuring mountain torrent, and anon formed a series of small cascades. As we ascended higher the width contracted; the paper-bark trees disappeared; and the bottom of the valley became thickly wooded with wild nutmeg and other fragrant trees. Cockatoos soared, with hoarse screams, above us, many-coloured parakeets darted away, filling the woods with their playful cries, and the large white pigeons which feed on the wild nutmegs cooed loudly to their mates, and battered the boughs with their wings as they flew away.

The spot I chose to halt at for the night was at the foot of a lofty precipice of rocks, from which a spring gushed forth. Those who had accompanied us from the camp now returned, leaving me and the two soldiers alone and about to penetrate some distance into an utterly unknown country. We were each provided with ten days' provisions and, confident in the steadiness and courage of my men, I had not the slightest anxiety--feeling that as long as we maintained a cool and determined bearing the natives would make no attacks upon us that we could not repel.

We soon erected a little hut of bark, then kindled a fire and cooked our supper, consisting of tea and two white pigeons which we had shot; and by the time our repast was finished it was nearly dark. My companions laid down to sleep: I remained up for a short time to think alone in the wilderness, and then followed their example.

ASCENT OF A GLEN.

December 18.

At break of day we were again upon our route, which lay up the valley we had slept in; but, as each of us carried ten days' provisions and a day's water, besides our arms, the progress we made in a tropical climate, when thus laden, was necessarily slow and laborious; but the beauty of the landscape and the solicitude we all felt to see more of this unexplored land cheered us on.

TABLELAND AT THE SUMMIT.

Having at length reached the tableland which this valley drained we found ourselves in the midst of a forest, differing widely from anything we had before seen. The soil beneath our feet was sandy and thickly clothed with spinifex (a prickly grass) which in spite of our thick trousers slightly but continually wounded our legs. The trees were lofty and some of them of considerable circumference; but the trunks of all were charred and blackened by constant fires: this circumstance, and their slight and thin, yet strikingly graceful foliage, gave them a most picturesque appearance.

Every here and there in the wood rose lofty and isolated pinnacles of sandstone rock, fantastic in form, and frequently overgrown with graceful creeping and climbing plants which imparted to them a somewhat of mystery and elegance. In other parts rose the gigantic ant-hills so much spoken of by former visitors of these shores; and in the distance we saw occasionally the forms of the timid kangaroos, who stole fearfully away from the unknown disturbers of their solitude.

ANOTHER VALLEY.

But when we arrived at the extremity of the tableland I felt somewhat disappointed at beholding a deep narrow ravine at my feet, precisely resembling in character the one we had left, and beyond this a second sandstone range, wooded as that on which we stood; in about half an hour we gained the bottom of the ravine and found that a rapid stream ran through it, which, being the first we had discovered, I named the Lushington, after the father of my associate in this expedition, and in accordance with a determination I had made before starting.

Mustard (one of the men with me) being ill, I determined to halt here for breakfast and, having completed this meal, I was sorry to find that he was still too unwell to proceed; such however being the case I was compelled to halt for the day: leaving Coles therefore to take care of him, I strolled off to explore the valley alone. Except in being much larger it differed in no respect from the first in which we encamped, and I found that within about half a mile below the spot where I had left the men it terminated in a salt-water inlet, nearly choked up with mangroves. On returning to them I found Mustard somewhat better; to our annoyance however heavy rain set in, accompanied by thunder and lightning; and as we had no shelter but what some overhanging rocks afforded us we passed a very uncomfortable night.

December 19.

Mustard was still not quite well; we therefore started late and travelled slowly, keeping nearly in a south-east direction. We thus gradually ascended the second sandstone range, the summit of which was a tableland, at this point about half a mile wide.

GEOLOGICAL PHENOMENA.

We here remarked a very curious circumstance. Several acres of land on this elevated position were nearly covered with lofty isolated sandstone pillars of the most grotesque and fantastic shapes, from which the imagination might easily have pictured to itself forms equally singular and amusing. In one place was a regular unroofed aisle, with a row of massive pillars on each side; and in another there stood upon a pedestal what appeared to be the legs of an ancient statue, from which the body had been knocked away.

Some of these time-worn columns were covered with sweet-smelling creepers, while their bases were concealed by a dense vegetation, which added much to their very singular appearance. The height of two or three which I measured was upwards of forty feet; and, as the tops of all of them were nearly upon the same level, that of the surrounding country must at one period have been as high as their present summits, probably much higher.

From the top of one of these pillars I surveyed the surrounding country and saw on every side proofs of the same extensive degradation--so extensive, indeed, that I found it very difficult to account for; but the gurgling of water, which I heard beneath me, soon put an end to the state of perplexity in which I was involved, for I ascertained that streams were running in the earth beneath my feet; and, on descending and creeping into a fissure in the rocks, I found beneath the surface a cavern precisely resembling the remains that existed above ground, only that this was roofed, whilst through it ran a small stream which in the rainy season must become a perfect torrent. It was now evident to me that ere many years had elapsed the roof would give way, and what now were the buttresses of dark and gloomy caverns would emerge into day and become columns clad in green, and resplendent in the bright sunshine.

GRADUAL DEGRADATION OF THE LAND.

In this state they would gradually waste away beneath the ever-during influence of atmospheric causes, and the material being then carried down by the streams, through a series of caverns resembling those of which they once formed a portion, would be swept out into the ocean and deposited on sandbanks, to be raised again, at some remote epoch, a new continent, built up with the ruins of an ancient world.

I subsequently, during the season of the heavy rains, remarked the usual character of the mountain streams to be that they rose at the foot of some little elevation which stood upon a lofty tableland composed of sandstone, then flowed in a sandy bed for a short distance and afterwards mysteriously sank in the cracks and crevices made in the rocks from atmospheric influences, and did not again reappear until they had reached the foot of the precipice which terminated the tableland whence they sprang; here they came foaming out in a rapid stream which had undoubtedly worked strange havoc in the porous sandstone rocks among which it held its subterraneous course.

What the amount of sand annually carried down from the north-western portion of Australia into the ocean may be we have no means whatever of ascertaining; that it is sufficient to form beds of sand of very great magnitude is attested by the existence of numerous and extensive sandbanks all along the coast. One single heavy tropical shower of only a few hours' duration washed down, over a plot of ground which was planted with barley, a bed of sand nearly five inches deep, which the succeeding showers again swept off, carrying it further upon its way towards the sea.

The space of ground covered with these columns gradually contracted its dimensions as we proceeded; the columns themselves became nearer and nearer to each other until they at length formed walls of cliffs on each side of us, and we finally reached a point where a single lofty pillar, standing in front of a dry cascade, formed the centre of an amphitheatre of sandstone. There was some water in a little natural basin at the base of the cliffs. I determined therefore to halt here for breakfast and, leaving the men at the foot of the cascade to prepare some tea, I clambered to its summit, and found myself on another tableland similar to that which I had just left, and covered in the same manner with natural columns.

SANDSTONE CAVERNS.

Some distance from the top of the cascade I discovered a cavern, or rather huge hole in the water-course, into which, thinking it might contain fossil bones, I descended as far as the first ledge, and I then perceived that the water pouring through this cavern in the rainy season was cutting off another rock of sandstone similar to the remarkable pillar in front of the cascade. The water in the basin below must have filtered out from this cavern. On a further examination I found that a precisely similar series of operations was going on throughout the whole amphitheatre of cliffs which bounded the tableland we had been traversing during the morning.

In the rainy season (March 7th) I again passed this spot and found the watercourse full of water, which was also falling abundantly from the cascade. From this circumstance I inferred that the subterraneous outlets for the water were all filled, consequently the large body which these caverns would contain must have been then endeavouring to force its way through the fissures in the porous sandstone rocks.

CONTINUATION OF ROUTE. HALT IN A VALLEY.

After breakfast we continued on our route through a sandstone country precisely resembling the one which I have now described, and in the course of the day, having completed fifteen miles in a straight line, we halted for the night in a fertile valley affording plenty of fresh water, and so densely wooded with the dwarf pandanus and other prickly trees that we could scarcely make our way through the underwood. In this valley we saw several sorts of cranes, principally Ardea antigone, and Ardea scolopacia, and I shot one of the former kind and laid it by, intending to eat it in the morning. We could not find any holes in the rocks large enough to protect us from the rain, which fell throughout the night, accompanied by thunder and lightning.

December 20.

Just as we turned out this morning a large kangaroo came close to us to drink at a waterhole; the effect as it stole along through the thick bushes in the morning twilight was very striking. I could not succeed in getting a shot at it; but, as I was determined to have a meat breakfast, I desired Mustard to cook the crane, the rats however had eaten the greater part of it; we therefore at once moved on and, after travelling four miles in a south-east direction over good land, we reached a valley, the largest and best I had yet seen, containing trees and birds such as we had not before met with; kangaroos were more plentiful, and, for the first time, we saw the opossum. The valley was more than a mile in width at the point where we first made it, and we had but just time to cross it and to gain the partial shelter of some rocks when heavy rain again set in. We could keep no fire and, being soon wet through, passed a wretched night.

December 21.

We all today began to feel the want of food; since Sunday night we had subsisted on nothing but rice and tea, and only in very small quantities at a time, as the heavy rain had materially interrupted our cooking. As there was plenty of game in this valley I determined to halt for a day previously to my return to the party, for the double purpose of exploring the valley and of shooting game.

CUCKOO-PHEASANT.

The large bird which was the most abundant here was the Cuculus phasianus or pheasant cuckoo. This bird in colour, in length of tail, in its size, and general appearance so closely resembles the hen pheasant of England that, when it is on the wing, it is almost impossible to tell the difference; its habits and food are also identical with that of the English pheasant. The chief point of distinction is that its toes point two before and two behind, in the same manner as those of a parrot; but what is very remarkable about this bird is that, although, like the other Scansores, it delights in climbing and running up trees, it is equally fond of running along the ground in the manner a pheasant does.

SPORTING.

This day I found plenty of these birds in a cover of long dry grass and bushes about half my height. From this kind of ground I descended to deep lagoons in the bottoms, with rushes, reeds, and dense tropical vegetation around them, amongst which the bamboo and pandanus bore a conspicuous figure; as I beat this cover the pheasants, with their whirring noise, rose on all sides of me, and my Westley Richards was kept in constant operation. I never enjoyed a better day's pheasant shooting in any preserve in England; and I may here remark that North-Western Australia is as good a country for sport in the shooting way as I am acquainted with; whilst for every kind of sport except wild-fowl shooting the southern part of Australia is the worst country in the world. My bag being full, and my companions very hungry, I had no excuse for staying longer away from them, and therefore returned, although very loth to leave such beautiful scenery and such excellent sport.

FERTILE COUNTRY DESCRIED.

In the interval between the showers, and whilst the men were trying to kindle a fire, I ascended a sandstone range under the shelter of some rocks near the summit of which we were encamped; from this elevated position I saw a far better country to the south of us than any we had yet traversed; and the prospect was so cheering in this direction that I felt assured, when it was once gained with the horses, we should be able to travel on with comparative rapidity and facility.

NATIVE HAUNTS.

Having emptied my bag I started again to commence the exploration of the valley we were in. It sloped first in a north-easterly and then in a nearly easterly direction; the river that ran through it was in some places almost dry, or was rather a chain of large ponds than a river, several of these ponds being more than a hundred yards across. I followed the valley down for about five miles in the direction of Prince Regent's River and found to my surprise that this part was by no means thinly inhabited by natives; still, as none of the traces I had yet seen were very recent, I trusted that we should not fall in with any considerable body.

TRACES OF NATIVES.

At length however I came upon a spot which a number of them appeared to have quitted only an hour or two before, and where they had been sitting under a large tree at the edge of one of these ponds; their recent fire had been first slaked with water and sand then thrown over it. I knew therefore that they had been disturbed, and most probably by my gun; but not before they had made a hearty meal of roasted fresh-water mussels (unios) and nuts of a kind which grew on a large shady tree in pods, like a tamarind pod, the kernel being contained in a shell, of which each pod held several, and the fruit tasting exactly like filberts. The spot was admirably suited for their purpose; their bark beds were placed under the shelter of this tree and only a few yards distant from the pond, which contained abundance of large unios.

ATTACK OF NATIVES.

I sat down under the nut tree to consider what was my best plan to adopt. From the signs around us the natives were evidently much more numerous than I had expected: in the event of anything happening to one of the three our return to the main party might be considerably impeded, if not altogether prevented; and although, from the superiority of our weapons over theirs, I entertained but little doubt as to the issue of any contest we might be forced into, the calls of humanity as well is of personal interest warned me to do my utmost to avoid an affray.

RETURN TOWARDS HANOVER BAY.

I returned therefore to the party and, having made our dinner from pheasant soup and birds which had been first split in two and then nicely roasted on the ashes, we commenced our journey homewards, cautiously and circumspectly, that we might run no risk of being surprised. Until the evening began to close upon us we pursued our route through scenery similar to that we had passed the day before, our course laying several miles to the northward of our former track; and when we halted for the night I carefully chose a good position and, mentioning my apprehensions concerning the natives to the men in such a way as to put them on their guard without exciting their alarm, we bivouacked for the night. Soon after sunset the thunderstorms of the previous evening were renewed, accompanied by tremendous rain. This was unfortunate as it rendered it nearly impossible for us to keep our arms in an efficient state.

December 22.

After passing a wretched and uncomfortable night we started before dawn, pursuing a direction about west by north, and passed one of the openings from Prince Regent's River laid down in Captain King's chart, and there left without a termination, which I had thus an opportunity of fixing. Having completed about six miles I halted for breakfast. No signs whatever of the natives had been again seen; this restored my confidence and, as the sun was intensely hot and we were much fatigued, we lay about in rather a careless and imprudent way. Fortunately the gathering clouds prognosticated that we should soon have rain; and, as we could get no good shelter where we were, I ordered the men to move on: we had just gained the top of the range when a violent storm of rain overtook us, I therefore doubled back about a hundred yards to the left of our former track to gain some rocks forming a portion of a detached group upon a tableland, and which I had observed as we passed them.

ATTACKED BY NATIVES.

Scarcely had we reached these rocks, and sheltered ourselves under the overhanging projections, when I saw a savage advancing with a spear in his right hand, and a bundle of similar weapons in his left; he was followed by a party of thirteen others, and with them was a small dog not of the kind common to this country. The men were curiously painted for war, red being the predominant colour, and each man carried several spears, a rowing stick, and a club. Their chief was in front, and distinguished by his hair being of a dark red colour from some composition with which it was smeared; the others followed him close, noiselessly, and with stealthy pace, one by one, whilst he, crouching almost to the earth, pricked off our trail.

We remained concealed and motionless until they had all passed, but the moment they came to where we had turned off they discovered our retreat, and raised loud shouts of triumph, as, forming themselves into a semicircle, they advanced upon us, brandishing their spears and bounding from rock to rock. It was in vain that I made friendly signs and gestures, they still closed upon us, and to my surprise I heard their war-cry answered by a party who were coming over the high rocks in our rear, which I had flattered myself protected us in that direction.

Our situation was now so critical that I was compelled to assume a hostile attitude. I therefore shouted in answer to their cries and, desiring the men to fire one at a time if I gave the word, I advanced rapidly, at the same time firing one barrel over their heads. This had the desired effect. With the exception of one more resolute than the rest they fled on all sides, and he, finding his efforts unavailing, soon followed their example.

RETURN TO THE ENCAMPMENT. HANOVER BAY.

Feeling however that the neighbourhood we were in was a dangerous one, and being anxious to know whether the party I had left at the encampment--only six in number--had seen these natives, I hurried our march, although the rain fell in torrents all day; and we that night made the camp.

PROCEEDINGS THERE DURING MY ABSENCE.

I found the party all in good health and spirits: they had seen nothing whatever of the natives during my absence. The sailing of the Lynher had been unfortunately delayed until the 21st of December. On the 18th and 19th the tides had been so low that, although Mr. Lushington had done his utmost, the schooner made little or no progress in her watering. On the 20th the crew and whole party were employed; yet they only succeeded in getting off 280 gallons for they were obliged to carry the water in small baricos to the boat, over slippery rocks and deep mud: and on the 21st, thinking it better to complete their water at Timor, they set sail. This difficulty of watering only arose from the lowness of the tides (neap) and our ignorance of the country. Subsequently we found no difficulty in procuring it; indeed no country in the world is better watered than this portion of Australia.

Since the sailing of the Lynher the party had been actively engaged in building a shed for the stores. This labour was still continued, after my arrival, and completed on Christmas eve.

CHRISTMAS DINNER.

On Christmas Day we all dined together in a little booth made of boughs, which we dressed up as gaily as we could. I could not but feel considerable pleasure in seeing the happy countenances of the men ranged round the rough plank that formed our table. We sat down, a little band of nine, bound upon an adventure of which the issue to any and all of us was very uncertain: yet no forebodings appeared to damp the pleasure of the present moment; and as I anxiously looked round I could not detect the slightest trace of a gloomy thought in any of the cheerful faces that surrounded me. After dinner we drank the Queen's health, the first time such a toast had been given in these regions; and then, Mr. Walker and myself retiring to talk alone, left the rest to their own amusements.

1838.

PLANTING USEFUL SEEDS.

The interval between that and New Year's Day found and left us full of occupation. On this latter day I had resolved to do homage to the country by a seasonable gift; and therefore, rising with the earliest dawn, spent the whole day in planting, in various positions, seeds of the most useful fruits and vegetables. Those we had already planted were doing well, and I hoped that this benefaction might prove one of no small value, perhaps to civilized man, or at least to the natives of the vicinity.

WALK TO MUNSTER WATER.

January 4.

A party of us this day walked to Hanover Bay for the purpose of making some observations on the sandy beach there, after which we went over to Prince Regent's River, near Munster Water. The country until near the bank of the river at this point was of the same sandy nature as that about the beach: there however it improves; and from the circumstance of my finding a regular haunt of the natives I feel sure that there is plenty of fresh water in the neighbourhood. This place of their sojourn resembled one before described, and many others I had seen. An extensive circle was formed by laying a large flat stone upon the ground, and on each of these a smaller one; between the two they evidently crushed the shellfish and nuts which formed their food. Near some of the stones were laid huge shells for the purpose of drinking from; and in the centre of the circle were the marks of frequent fires. We heard the natives calling to one another in the woods, but saw none of them; and in the evening returned to our encampment.

ISTHMUS NEAR HANOVER BAY.

January 6.

I made an excursion this day for the purpose of examining the land lying between Port George the Fourth and Hanover Bay: it consists of a low neck which connects the peninsula terminating in High Bluff Point with the main. Thus it is bounded on two sides by the sea, and on the other two by rocky hills which are perfectly precipitous, both towards the main and the peninsula; but a natural terrace runs along under the cliff in the direction of Camden Sound, which I believe would form a good road to that harbour. The tract thus enclosed appears to be very fertile. Porphyry and basalt are the common rocks. The soil is rich vegetable mould, mixed with gravel and covered with the most luxuriant grass. The trees were in general small. We only found three springs here; these however were sufficient to prove that it was well supplied in this respect. A species of plant was observed here, which in appearance and smell exactly resembled the jasmine of England: and it would be difficult to give any adequate impression of the singular sensation of pleasure derived from the sight of this simple emblem of home. Here were regular beaten tracks of the natives, as completely pathways as those we find in England leading from a village to a farmhouse.

HILL OF SHELLS.

Near the sea we also came upon a complete hill of broken shells, which it must have taken some centuries to form, for it covered nearly, if not quite, half an acre of ground, and in some places was ten feet high: it was situated just over a bed of cockles, and was evidently formed from the remains of native feasts, as their fireplaces, and the last small heaps of shells were visible on the summit of the hill.* This neck of land is undoubtedly of the first importance; for, lying as it does between Port George the Fourth and Hanover Bay, it commands two excellent harbours, and its soil is moreover highly fertile. I conceive that a point nearer Camden Bay would be of greater consequence to the mother country; but, after such a spot, this neck of land is the most important position on the North-west coast of Australia.

(*Footnote. A similar mass of shells, though of smaller dimensions, is spoken of by Captain King, at Port Essington: A curious mound, constructed entirely of shells, rudely heaped together, measuring thirty feet in diameter, and fourteen feet high, was also noticed near the beach, and was supposed to be a burying-place of the Indians. King's Australia volume 1 page 87.)

For some days after our return from this excursion all hands were occupied in drying the stores, which had suffered a little from the late rains; in planting barley and potatoes; and in a variety of occupations of the same nature.

EXCURSION TO COUNTRY ABOUT PRINCE REGENT'S RIVER.

As all the necessary magnetic and astronomical observations were now completed I seized the opportunity offered by the first favourable day and started with a party of three in the direction of Prince Regent's River.

We made the river about Halfway Bay, and then followed its course, keeping about a mile or two inland. A considerable portion of the land in the neighbourhood of the river was most excellent, consisting of rich meadow plains. The general proportion of good country compared with the bad was still however but small.

GOUTY-STEMMED TREES.

There was a very remarkable feature in the appearance of this part of the country, caused by the number of gouty stemmed trees (a species of Capparis ?) These trees grow to a considerable height, and had the appearance of suffering from some disease, but, from the circumstance of all of them being affected in the same way, this was undoubtedly their natural state. I measured one of the largest I here saw, and found that at eighteen inches above the ground its circumference was about twenty-eight feet six inches.

The foliage of this tree was slight but graceful, and it was loaded with a fruit of an elliptical form, as large as a coconut. This fruit was enclosed in a rind, closely resembling that of the almond, and inside the rind was a shell containing a soft white pulp, in which were placed a species of almond, very palatable to the taste, and arranged in this pulp much in the manner in which the seeds are placed in the pomegranate. Upon the bark of these trees being cut they yielded in small quantities a nutritious white gum, which both in taste and appearance resembles macaroni; and upon this bark being soaked in hot water an agreeable mucilaginous drink was produced.

This tree is, from this combination of useful qualities, a vegetable production of no slight value, and probably comes near the cocoa-nut tree in value. Its worth is well known to the natives for its vicinity is one of their favourite haunts. Around nearly all of them I have found marks of their fires, and on many of these trees were several successive rows of notches, formed in this manner:

All but the last row being invariably scratched out. These rows of notches were evidently of different ages, and I imagine must indicate the number of nuts taken each year from the tree.* I often also found rude drawings scratched upon the trees, but none of these sketches indicated anything but a very ordinary degree of talent, even for a savage: some were so imperfect that it was impossible to tell what they were meant to represent.

(*Footnote. This tree was also observed on this part of the continent by Captain King, who met with it both at Cambridge Gulf and Careening Bay, and describes it as follows: Mr. Cunningham was fortunate in finding the fruit of the tree that was first seen by us at Cambridge Gulf, and had for some time puzzled us from its immense size and peculiar appearance. It proved to be a tree of the Natural Order Capparides, and was thought to be a Capparis; the gouty habit of the stem, which was soft and spongy, gave it an appearance of disease; but as all the specimens, from the youngest plant to the full-grown tree, possessed the same deformed appearance, it was evidently the peculiarity of its habit. The stem of the largest of these trees measured twenty-nine feet in girt, whilst its height did not exceed twenty-five feet. It bore some resemblance to the Adansonia figured in the account of Captain Tuckey's expedition to Congo. King's Australia volume 1 page 423.)

SINGULAR PIECES OF SANDSTONE.

I this day again remarked a circumstance which had before this period elicited my attention; which was that we occasionally found fixed in the boughs of trees, at a considerable height from the ground, pieces of sandstone, nearly circular in form, about an inch and a half in thickness, and from four to five in diameter, so that they resembled small millstones. What was the object in thus fashioning and placing these stones I never could conceive, for they were generally in the least remarkable spots: they cannot point out burial places, for I have made such minute searches that in such a case I must have found some of the bones; neither can they indicate any peculiar route through the country, for two never occur near one another.

PREPARATION TO BUILD A BOAT.

On my return to the camp I found that the schooner had not yet arrived; I now began to fear that some accident had occurred, and made my preparations accordingly. The party was fully prepared to meet such a misfortune and, as we had the means of constructing a boat large enough to take us to Swan River, I felt more anxious for the safety of those in the vessel than for our own. That no time however might be lost I examined the neighbourhood of the encampment and found that within our immediate vicinity were plenty of trees well adapted for the purpose, which I marked, and had some of them felled.

CHAPTER 7. HANOVER BAY AND ITS VICINITY.

OCCUPATION AT THE CAMP.

During the absence of the schooner we had our attention fully engaged in forming a garden, collecting specimens, and building sheds for the stores. So difficult and rocky was the country we were in that I was employed for several days in finding a route by which unloaded horses could travel from the beach in Hanover Bay to the point where we were encamped, for the landing-place at the end of the ravine was so rocky as to be impracticable for that purpose. Mr. Walker at length discovered a pass in the cliffs, and by constructing a winding path in this he thought that we should be able to get loaded horses out of the valley. I feared that he was too sanguine, and therefore daily renewed my search in all directions. I travelled up the entire length of the ravine that we were encamped in but found that, even granting it was not flooded, we should find great difficulty in emerging by this route.

These circumstances made me resolve upon the return of the schooner to re-embark the stores, and land them again either upon a point I had fixed upon on the south bank of Prince Regent's River, or upon the neck of land I have before mentioned, which lay between Port George the Fourth and Hanover Bay; but I could not finally decide upon either of the points until the return of the vessel should enable me to examine the coast between Port George the Fourth and Camden Sound; for my party only consisted of nine men, of whom with the exception of three or four I knew nothing, and after what I had seen of the treacherous disposition of the natives I did not think, in my position, it would be prudent to absent myself from them for any length of time.

RETURN OF THE LYNHER.

Amidst such exciting and busy scenes, the time flew rapidly away until the 17th of January, when about 11 A.M. the report of a carronade came echoing up the valley. This was the preconcerted signal which was to announce to us that the vessel was safely at anchor in Hanover Bay. We were of course all anxiety to hear an account of their adventures, and to ascertain whether the horses were safe. I hastened directly to the landing-place, where I met Mr. Lushington and a party coming ashore from the schooner.

RELATION OF PROCEEDINGS AT KUPANG TIMOR AND ROTI.

The following outline of their transactions was soon given:

They had quitted Hanover Bay on the 21st December at 9 A.M., and reached Kupang in the Island of Timor on the 1st of January. For the first three days until they got clear of the land they had every evening, soon after sunset, heavy squalls from the north-east, accompanied with thunder, lightning, and rain; the prevalent wind was however from the north-west. The Lynher remained at Kupang until the 7th, during which time they completed their water and collected coconuts, bread-fruit trees, etc., to be planted in Australia; but as Mr. Lushington found that he should be able more easily to obtain ponies at the island of Roti than at Kupang, they sailed on the morning of the 7th for that place, and at 7 P.M. came to in the harbour of Rougun in eleven fathoms water, with muddy bottom.

They were enabled to procure at Roti the requisite number of horses by the evening of the 11th of January. The people of this island appeared to be excessively ignorant, knew but little of the nature and value of money, and were much astonished when they were shown a watch. Their favourite mode of disposing of their property was by barter; the articles they prized most were muskets and coarse gunpowder, but they preferred having the gunpowder in a claret bottle, as if this was considered by them to be some definite measure which bore a certain value. They were not very particular about the quality of the muskets provided their outward form and appearance were tolerably good. I have since ascertained that the natives of the little-frequented islands of the Archipelago invariably prefer an old musket to a new one, as they conceive a totally new one may be unsafe, from having been made merely for the purpose of sale; whilst one which has seen service has been indisputably manufactured for use. If they entertain any doubt about the goodness of a musket they generally insist upon the seller's firing it off.

MODE OF BARTER AT ROTI.

The people of Roti are not allowed to fix themselves what is to be the price of their horses; all the details of the sale are settled by an assemblage of chiefs: their constant cry in bartering (if anything else is offered to them) is "schnapper, schnapper" (a musket, a musket). They refused at first to take percussion guns in exchange, but when they saw Captain Browse cock one of these, pour a quantity of water over the lock, and fire it off, their astonishment knew no bounds, and they then eagerly bartered for them. When they found that all the muskets were exhausted they were content to take money and other articles in lieu: an old dress waistcoat of mine and a regulation breastplate procured eight small sheep; and Captain Browse got fourteen goats for a pair of old pistols. The authorities give every encouragement to the trader; but the duties exacted are high, for at Kupang and Roti they demand six rupees duty for every horse exported, or musket imported. Arms and gunpowder are no longer considered contraband.

The inhabitants of Roti were described as being so indolent that it was almost impossible to induce them to do anything: although every means were used to tempt them to cut a sufficient quantity of fodder for the ponies on their passage they constantly delayed doing so and, Mr. Lushington's patience being at last worn out, the vessel put to sea on the 12th of January 1838.

NEW ISLAND DISCOVERED.

On the 13th they sighted the Hibernian shoal which they made in 11 degrees 57 minutes south latitude and 123 degrees 22 minutes 30 seconds east longitude. On Monday 15th of January at 10 P.M. they discovered an island, thus described in the log of the Lynher:

At 10 hours 30 minutes P.M. saw land about a quarter of a mile ahead; hauled our wind to west by south; sounded in 12 fathoms water, rocky bottom; it appeared to be about one mile in extent, and about twenty feet above the water. After running west by south one mile, got no bottom with 40 fathoms of line. Kept our course south by east: it (the island) appeared to be quite level with rocks extending to north-west, with heavy breakers. Made it by observation south latitude 14 degrees 4 minutes; east longitude 123 degrees 31 minutes by good chronometer rated at Roti.

TROUBLE WITH THE HORSES.

At 6 A.M. on the morning of the 16th they experienced heavy squalls of wind off Red Island, and this prevented them from getting into Hanover Bay on that day; but on the morning of the 17th they anchored safely, without having lost a single pony, or without having experienced any serious misfortune, having made the passage from Roti in five days.

UNFORESEEN EMBARRASSMENTS.

Some short time was occupied in narrating the adventures we had respectively encountered since we had last seen one another, and in giving way to the pleasure arising from meeting again in so distant a land, and under such circumstances: at last came the unpleasant announcement that there was not an atom of forage on board, so that the ponies must of necessity be landed tomorrow; and my plans of disembarking them at a more eligible site were thus at once overthrown. Being the only person who knew the route to Hanover Bay from the encampment, I was obliged to remain on shore to guide the party over there the next morning. Mr. Lushington and the Captain however returned on board to make preparations for landing the horses at daybreak.

LANDING THE HORSES.

I lay down to sleep this night oppressed with very uneasy thoughts. I was thoroughly convinced that the position we occupied was a bad one to make a start from; but we had already approached too near the season of the heaviest rains (the beginning of February) to allow of longer delay, so that to have landed the horses, then to cut grass for them, and afterwards to have re-embarked them and the stores, would, in my opinion, have been a tedious and wrong course to adopt. Unforeseen difficulties, and against which we could not have guarded, had already completely encompassed us, so that, considering the scanty means at our disposal, the remote and unknown region in which we were situated, and the impossibility of our receiving further aid from any quarter, I saw no way of overcoming them. All therefore that was now left us was to make the most of our actual means, to acquit ourselves like men, and do our utmost.

EXCURSION BY WATER TO PRINCE REGENT'S RIVER.

January 18.

Fortune smiled on us this morning in as far as she gave us a fine daybreak, and at dawn we started for Hanover Bay, leaving a small party at the encampment. After all the trouble I had taken to find a good route for the horses, we still had a great deal to do to render it at all practicable; we however all worked cheerfully and sturdily away at burning the grass, moving rocks and fallen trees, etc., and thus, as it were, fought our way through opposing obstacles to Hanover Bay, over a distance of about four miles.

TROUBLE IN GETTING THE HORSES TO THE CAMP.

On arriving there I found Mr. Lushington already on shore and some of the horses disembarked. They were not only well selected for the purpose, but were generally in good condition. They had however two faults which could not have been avoided, and these were that they were very small and perfectly wild. By about two o'clock in the afternoon the whole twenty-six had been swum ashore, and we started for the huts.

Our progress was however slow; for, as there were only a few of us, each person was obliged to take charge of three or four of these untamed, unbroken brutes. The mode we adopted was to fasten them together by long ropes so that the number each man led could follow in a line; but, being wholly unused to this kind of discipline, they strenuously resisted it, biting and kicking at one another with the greatest ferocity; and as they were chiefly very courageous little entire horses, a variety of spirited contests took place, much to their own satisfaction, but to my infinite chagrin. Some of the men who were not much accustomed to horses regarded these wild ponies as being but little better than savage monsters, with whom it was dangerous to have anything to do; and, being thus rather afraid of them, treated them very cruelly, kicking them often with great violence whenever I for a moment looked away, and thus naturally rendering the ponies still more wild.

But even when we did induce these brutes to move along pacifically they would not follow one another in a line, but all strove to go in different directions, and, as our road lay through a rocky forest, the consequence of this pulling was that the connecting ropes kept on getting entangled in rocks and trees; indeed there was scarcely an instance of two of them passing on the same side of a tree or rock at the first attempt, so that we were continually halting to clear their tether ropes; again, one of the beasts would now and then become obstinate, refuse to move, and this delayed us all; for I would not allow the party to separate for fear of the natives. In consequence of all these adverse circumstances at sunset we had scarcely got half-way to the encampment; and just at this period one pony became and remained so obstinate that, in despair, I had it tied up to a tree alone. We now moved on again as fast as we could, but night soon surprised us, and, when it became too dark to see our course, we tethered our horses and laid down in the forest by them; but as it rained, and we had neither warm clothes nor covering, and many of the party had tasted nothing since dawn, our situation was not very pleasant; indeed, the combined circumstances of cold, hunger, and obstinate ponies had rendered some of the men more crabbed than I had ever before seen them.

January 19.

As soon as it was light enough to find the ponies we recommenced our march; and, all our annoyances of yesterday being repeated, did not succeed in arriving at the ravine until noon--it took us much care and a great deal of time to reach the bottom of this in safety; when however we had done so, we knee-haltered the ponies and let them loose amidst very good feed, of which they now stood much in need, for there was no grass whatever between the encampment and Hanover Bay; the whole of the intervening country being a mass of rock, scrub, and spinifex. I now sent a party back to bring on the refractory pony, which I had yesterday been obliged to tie up to a tree, and the long fast it had been subjected to appeared to have produced a very beneficial effect on its temper, for it now was perfectly docile.

EXCURSION UP PRINCE REGENT'S RIVER. PREPARATIONS FOR MOVING.

For the next few days all was bustle and preparation. The ponies being so much smaller than I had expected, all our packsaddles had to be altered, and fourteen of them, which the party had made during the absence of the schooner, still had to be put together. Mr. Walker undertook the task of constructing a pathway up the cliffs, by means of which the loaded ponies could ascend; he laboured personally at making this path, occasionally assisted by two or three others; and it would be impossible for anyone who had not seen it at all to comprehend the obstacles he met with, and the perseverance with which he contended against and finally overcame them. We were obliged to complete everything in a hurried and unsatisfactory manner, for our departure had been so long delayed that we were every day in expectation of the setting in of the heavy rains and the consequent flooding of the ravine in which we were encamped; and in the event of this taking place before we made a start it was impossible to foresee for how long a period our movements might be delayed.

CHARACTER OF ITS SHORES.

On Monday the 22nd Captain Browse and Mr. Walker accompanied me in the jolly-boat up Prince Regent's River; we went up with the flood-tide, entering the river by its northern mouth; I had thus an opportunity of examining the island which lies at the entrance to this great arm of the sea, and landed upon it in several places, but found only bad sandy land, occasionally covered with rocks; it was however well wooded and abounded with birds. After we had passed the mouth of Rothsay Water the tide swept us along with great rapidity, and we soon found ourselves in St. George's Basin. I kept close along the northern shore, where we saw but little good land after entering the basin; but there was one fertile island, of a small conical shape, bearing nearly due east as you enter. From the appearance of this island there can be no doubt whatever that it is of volcanic origin; as it in all respects resembles Mount Lyell and the other basaltic conical hills which we afterwards found in the fertile district of Glenelg; we did not however land on it, but merely ran close by, and then continued our route up the river.

St. George's Basin is a noble sheet of water some ten or twelve miles across. On its southern side deep inlets run up into a low and marshy country, leading to fertile districts, and the main object of my present excursion was to endeavour to identify these inlets with some I had seen on my first trip to the southward.

SCENERY AND THUNDERSTORM.

On the northern bank lofty mountains, crowned with castellated summits, rear their sterile heads over the broad waters, and fling their giant shadows on the bosom of the basin, forming a scene of surpassing beauty.

We had entered the more contracted channel of the river, when there came on a tremendous squall of wind, rain, thunder, and most vivid lightning. The pealing echoes of the thunder as they bounded from height to height and from cliff to cliff was awfully magnificent; whilst the rugged mountains which had just before looked golden in the bright light of the setting sun were now shrouded in gloomy mists, and capped with dark clouds from which issued incessant and dazzling flashes of lightning.

During this grand and terrific elemental convulsion our little boat was driven powerless before the blast. The impenetrable forests of mangroves which clothed the riverbanks obliging us to run far up the stream until at last a convenient opening enabled us to land upon the southern shore.

DELUSIVE APPEARANCE ON THE ROCKS.

We had not long landed when the rain ceased and, as we found several natural caverns in the rock and plenty of dead mangrove trees, we proceeded to make ourselves comfortable for the night; but the men soon reported that they saw the smoke of a native fire close to us, and Captain Browse and myself, under the conviction that such was the case, darted with Mr. Walker to endeavour to gain an interview. But, as we proceeded over the rocks, the smoke appeared gradually to retire, always keeping about the same distance from us: and we at last ascertained that what had appeared to us to be smoke was nothing but the rising vapour occasioned by the cold rain falling on sandstone rocks, which had during the whole day been exposed to the burning rays of a tropical sun.

We had now become so much accustomed to sleeping without any covering, and upon hard rocks, that we should not have minded our exposure had it not been for the rain which fell during the night and beat in under the rocks, beneath which we had crept for shelter. The cold air of the morning awoke us long before daylight; and Mr. Walker and myself, having explored the country to the southward and climbed a high hill from which we had an extensive view, we started on our return to the schooner. In proceeding down the river we landed on an island, situate at the south-eastern extremity of St. George's Basin, just where the river runs into it. The presence of large dead trees on this island, which had evidently been swept down the river in the time of floods and washed up far above the usual water-mark, showed that Prince Regent's River is subject to the same sudden inundations as all other rivers in Australia which I have seen. During our passage down the river we saw no extent of good land in any one place.

STATE OF THE STOCK.

For the next few days we had almost uninterrupted bad weather. The party were all occupied in preparing the saddles, etc. The ponies having eaten off the grass in the ravine, we were compelled, about the 28th, to move them to the higher grounds. These at our first arrival on this coast were perfectly dry and burnt up; but since the heavy rains had set in they teemed with running springs, along the margins of which grew a scanty coating of grass. Being obliged to send the horses to a distance to graze delayed us a great deal for one portion of our party was occupied in attending upon them. Our sheep also now began to die off: they had up to this time improved rapidly and were doing very well, having, during the absence of the vessel, been regularly tended and driven to the high dry ground to feed; but now the pressure of business was so great that we were compelled in some degree to neglect them, and from this they suffered. The goats had from some cause never succeeded well.

From the period of their being landed many of the horses had declined very much, and several of them were by this time reduced to a very weakly state. This originated from the heavy rains and the excessive cold which accompanied them, as well as from some food they had eaten which had not agreed with them. On the 28th and 29th the rains increased in violence and duration; but we still continued our occupations of completing the packsaddles and arranging the stores in such small packages that they could easily in case of necessity be transported on men's shoulders.

FINAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE MARCH.

Having provided every requisite for the party, such as food, working utensils, soap, tobacco, etc., all of which were arranged in their respective packages, I issued an order that nothing but certain articles of clothing for each individual were to be put upon the ponies. This step was rendered the more necessary from their weakness and their diminutive size having greatly abridged our intended means of transport. Numerous requests were now made to me to be allowed to put various articles upon the horses, all of which I felt myself obliged to meet by a steady refusal; but this refusal, dictated entirely by the necessity of the case, raised angry and discontented feelings, tending to diminish materially the individual zeal and energy which were so much required at this juncture to ensure our success.

DEPARTURE FOR THE INTERIOR. DIFFICULTIES OF THE ROUTE.

On the 29th we began in the afternoon to load our horses. Mr. Walker's pathway was completed by means of a number of circuitous and sharp turnings: it led directly up the face of cliffs which were almost precipitous and 180 feet in height. To commemorate the completion of this really laborious undertaking I named the valley Walker's Valley.

TROUBLESOME ASCENT FROM THE VALLEY. SICKNESS AND MORTALITY AMONG THE HORSES AND STOCK.

The ponies, though weak, bore their burdens and submitted to the packsaddles better than I had hoped. The first horse was led up by the stock-keeper in safety, with its saddle and load on it; I followed with the second, but was not so fortunate. I had accomplished about three-fourths of the ascent when, turning one of the sharp corners round a rock, the load struck against it and knocked the horse over on its side. I thought for a moment that the poor beast would have fallen down the precipice, but luckily its roll was checked in time to prevent this. There it lay however on a flat rock, four or five feet wide, a precipice of 150 feet on one side of it, and the projecting rock against which it had struck on the other, whilst I sat upon its head to prevent it from moving. Its long tail streamed in the wind over the precipice; its wild and fiery eye gleamed from its shaggy mane and forelock; and, ignorant of its impending danger, it kicked and struggled violently, whilst it appeared to hang in mid-air over the gloomy depth of this tropical ravine. Anxious as I felt for the safety of my pony I could not be unconscious of the singular beauty of the scene during the few minutes that elapsed whilst I was repressing its struggles on a narrow ledge of rock, of which the dark brow projected threateningly above me, whilst the noise of a rushing torrent was audible far below. I cut the girths of the saddle, which then with its load rolled over the precipice, and pitched with a heavy crash on a rock far down. Even then, if the brute had not been a denizen of a wild and mountainous country, it must have been lost; but now it no sooner felt itself freed from its encumbrance than, looking sagaciously around and then raising itself cautiously up, it stood trembling by my side upon the narrow terrace.

Warned by this misfortune we managed to make another turn in the path, by which this awkward rock was avoided, and the remainder of the horses, with their loads, reached the tableland in safety. But so rocky was this country that, even after having mastered the ascent, we found great difficulty in getting the loaded ponies half a mile further to a point I had fixed on for our camp. We had this night a continued succession of heavy showers, accompanied with thunder and lightning.

January 30.

This morning it was reported to me that several sheep were dead, and that the horses were beginning to suffer much from constant exposure to the heavy cold rains, for the trees were so small, and their foliage so slight, that they afforded no shelter whatever from tropical showers. On repairing to the ravine I found that the stream which even yesterday was much swollen had now become an impetuous torrent, so much so that even to swim across it was not an easy matter. A tree was soon felled and a temporary foot-bridge thus formed; and as the rain cleared off a little towards the afternoon we managed, in this interval of fine weather, to load the ponies and carry some stores up the cliffs, but the poor beasts were so much weakened since yesterday that we were obliged to diminish their loads considerably. They all appeared to be gradually declining in health, strength, and condition, but from what cause except exposure I could not tell.

IMPEDIMENTS FROM BAD WEATHER.

January 31.

During last night we had heavy storms, the torrent was still more swollen and, although we laboured hard all day, we accomplished very little; several sheep died during the day, and the ponies appeared to be worse. I became now very anxious as to the result of the expedition; my worst apprehensions as to the rainy season setting in before we had got clear of the sandstone ranges had already been fully realized; every endeavour to hasten our preparations and to prevent this occurrence had been used, though unsuccessfully; it appeared now the better course to bear up against evils that could not be avoided than to lose time in murmuring; I therefore kept all hands constantly employed in doing something which might tend to accelerate our departure.

HEAVY RAINS.

February 1.

We again had heavy and incessant rain throughout Wednesday night, accompanied by thunder and lightning. At daylight the stock-keeper came to report to me that two horses, three sheep, and one goat were dead, and that several other horses appeared to be in a very dangerous state. All our stores with the exception of a few articles had now been removed from the valley in which we had first encamped; some of our goats were still left there, but the torrent had become so rapid and impetuous that it had swept away the bridge and was now impassable. Heavy rains fell throughout the greater portion of the day, and produced a beautiful effect in the ravines, for cascades were pouring over the cliffs on each side, sweeping every now and then before them massive pieces of rock, the crash of which in their fall echoed loudly through the valleys.

FURTHER LOSS OF STOCK.

February 2.

Bad news came again this morning--the stock-keeper met me with a very rueful countenance to report that another horse and two sheep had just been found dead, and that several more sheep were missing. It still rained so heavily that we could not attempt to move, for already a considerable portion of our stores was damaged by the water which had filled the ditch, and regularly flooded the tent in which they were placed.

Mr. Walker started with me for the purpose of marking off a road to the place we next intended to halt at, for the country was so rocky that it was necessary to choose a path with the greatest caution, or we should soon have become embarrassed in precipitous places which the horses could not have traversed. Whilst I was thus engaged Mr. Lushington and two men made another unsuccessful attempt to get the goats and remaining stores across the stream.

WEAKNESS AND OBSTINACY OF THE PONIES.

February 3.

This morning the rain had somewhat abated: the remaining stores were brought from the ravine, and the goats were swum across; in the meantime the ponies were brought up and loaded, and all preparations were at last made for a start: but a host of new difficulties arose; many of the ponies were found to be in such a weakly state that they could with great difficulty carry any weight at all. We were obliged to make a totally new division of the stores, and to select and put aside what articles we could best leave behind. These preparations occupied a considerable time, but we at last moved off in a south-east direction. Our progress was however very slow and tedious; the ponies, though lightly loaded, were so reduced that the slightest obstacle made many fall from weakness, whilst others laid down from obstinacy, and the men being inexperienced in re-fixing the loads, each horse that fell delayed us considerably. At last so many were down at one time that I advanced with such as were able to move to a point distant not more than half a mile, where I halted for the night; and, having unloaded and tethered these horses, we returned to assist the others, and after a great deal of difficulty got the remainder of the weak ponies safe to the encampment.

I slept but little this night for I doubted whether, with our cattle so enfeebled and so out of condition, we should ever succeed in penetrating any distance into the country. We were still a considerable way from the fertile plains I had seen to the southward, whilst the intervening ground was very difficult to travel across and afforded no good feed for the ponies. All my meditations however only terminated in the conviction that it was my duty to continue to use my best exertions under such adverse circumstances.

February 4.

There being no good grass for the horses where we were, I was obliged to move the party and commenced by using every method I could to lighten the loads and to rid the expedition of all encumbrances. I left here a male and female goat who, by their obstinacy, delayed our movements; thinking also that, if they escaped the natives, their offspring might become a valuable acquisition to this land.

We also left here 28 pounds of gunpowder, 10 pounds of ball cartridges, 70 pounds of shot, 200 pounds of preserved meat, some carpenters' tools, and many other useful articles; yet, notwithstanding this decrease in the loads of the ponies, the country we had to travel through was so bad that we only completed two miles in the course of the day; and yet to find the track by which we did succeed in crossing the range had cost me many successive hours' walking under a burning sun. The character of the country we passed through was the same as these sandstone ranges always present; namely, sandy scrubby plains, and low ranges of ruinous, rocky hills, in trying to scramble over which the ponies received numerous and severe falls. We however had a very beautiful halting-place, shaded by lofty pines and affording fair feed for the animals.

NEW PLAN OF MOVEMENTS.

February 5.

On this morning it was reported to me that several of the ponies were in a dying state, and that none of them would be again able to carry even such light loads as they had hitherto done; the quantity of stores they could now convey was quite inadequate to supply a party of the strength we were obliged to move with for any great length of time. A new plan of operations was thus forced upon me, and I now resolved to proceed as follows:

To advance with half our stores to a convenient place for encamping at, and then, on the succeeding day, to send back some of the party with the ponies for the remaining portion of the provisions; whilst, accompanied by two men, I marked off the road by which we were to move on the following day. This mode of proceeding would not very much delay our movements; for the country we were at present in was of so intricate a nature that it was impossible to move loaded horses without previously marking a road for them; and by its adoption I trusted to be able to establish a depot of provisions at some point distant from the coast and whence we could yet make a good start in a southerly direction.

LABOUR OF TRACING ROUTE.

In pursuance of this plan Mr. Lushington returned this day to our last camp to bring up the provisions we had abandoned; whilst I went off with two men to endeavour to pick out a route by which the ponies could travel. A more toilsome day's work than we had could not be imagined. For eleven hours I was incessantly walking, exposed during the greater part of the time to the burning rays of a tropical sun; and we found nothing but rocky, almost impassable sandstone ranges and precipitous ravines. I however at last succeeded in discovering a path along which it was just possible we might be able, by using great care, to lead loaded horses; and on my return to the camp I found that all the remaining stores had been brought up.

DESCENT INTO A VALLEY.

February 6.

We began our descent this morning from the tableland into a deep valley, following the track we had yesterday marked off, which was still however so rugged and rocky as to be very difficult to get along. Heavy rains set in, and these were always so cold that the large drops falling upon us Occasioned quite a painful sensation. The valleys being all flooded there was no feed in them for the horses and sheep; I therefore was obliged to send them back under charge of Mr. Lushington to the camp, which we had this morning quitted.

I retained three men with me; and after the remainder of the party had moved off I left two of them in charge of the stores, and started with Corporal Coles, again to explore the country in front of us.

CHARACTER OF THE COUNTRY. FLOODED RAVINE.

About half a mile to the south there was a deep ravine, bounded on each side by lofty cliffs. This ravine resembled in many respects the one we had first encamped in, but it was larger; and it was now impossible to travel either up or down in it on account of the great body of water which occupied its bed. Just opposite to where we were this ravine separated into three smaller ones, running up into the sandstone ranges along which I had previously sought for a route whereby to turn and travel round their heads; but I had found the country so rocky, so impracticable, and devoid of forage that I felt sure it was useless to attempt to traverse it.

My next object was to find a passage out of the main ravine, between the points where the subsidiary ravines ran into it, and where it joined the sea. If I could succeed in doing this our difficulties would, in a great measure, have terminated, for no other main ravine lay between us and the fertile plains which I had seen to the southward; and I knew that we should find no difficulty in traversing the intervening sandstone range, which consisted of a series of elevated plains or terraces, rising one behind the other.

With this view Coles and myself searched until after sunset, but without success. We found the ravine bounded throughout its southern side by inaccessible cliffs. Occasionally little branch ravines ran into it; but on penetrating for some distance up these they invariably terminated in precipitous cascades. A great portion of this afternoon was spent up to our middles in water as we waded about the flooded valley; and the only thing we had to compensate us for the fatigue and suffering we underwent was the wild beauty of the scenery, which was as lovely and picturesque as impetuous torrents, foaming cascades, lofty rocks, and a rich tropical vegetation could render it.

NATIVES.

On our return homewards, wearied and disappointed, we came close upon a large party of natives before they were aware of our presence. Coles had followed me up the northern bank of the ravine, and we thus occupied a good position; the natives had, I suppose, wished to avoid us, for we saw no more of them, but merely heard the sound of their retiring voices as they moved up the centre of the valley. We now returned to the men we had left in charge of the stores, and reached the tent soon after dark.

LABOUR OF TRACING AND FORMING A PATH.

February 7.

This day was passed in constructing the pathway which was to lead us down into the deep ravine in our front. Whilst the men were thus engaged I traversed the country I had yesterday visited in the hope that I might yet find some outlet into the good country which would take us clear of the others; but my searches were in vain. Only one man accompanied me, and I completely knocked him up ere the evening closed in upon us. We then were obliged to retrace our steps to the camp, and I now found myself perfectly worn out by the fatigue consequent on such continued and violent walking exercise under a tropical sun.