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 surpa.s.sing 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 sh.o.r.e.

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 pa.s.sage 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 gra.s.s 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 gra.s.s. 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 s.h.a.ggy 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 enc.u.mbrance 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 impa.s.sable. 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 ma.s.sive 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 embarra.s.sed 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 a.s.sist 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 circ.u.mstances.

February 4.

There being no good gra.s.s 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 enc.u.mbrances. 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 pa.s.sed 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 quant.i.ty 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 impa.s.sable 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 pa.s.sage 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.