Читать книгу The Story of the Blacks - Charles White - Страница 10

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Up to about the year 1817, very little was known of the number and character of the aborigines in the western interior; but the excursions made by colonists in search of grass lands on the other side of the Blue Mountain range, a passage over which had been opened under Governor Macquarie's direction, and the more extended expeditions made by explorers in their efforts to learn somewhat of the vast tract of new country which had thus been tapped, partially dispelled the ignorance existing concerning the interior tribes. When Surveyor-General Oxley was despatched by Macquarie to make further explorations of the rivers in the west to which the Governor had attached his name—the Lachlan and the Macquarie—it was expected that he would come into contact with aborigines who were as ignorant of Europeans as the Europeans were of them; and this anticipation was fully realised. When Mr. Oxley and his party touched the Lachlan, at about six days march from Bathurst, they found large numbers of natives encamped on the banks, the prevalence of game on the river and the adjoining lagoons evidently being the attraction. The natives behaved throughout in a peaceable and friendly manner, and the travellers were allowed to follow the course of the river without molestation from them, and to travel the bush separating the Lachlan from the Macquarie. In the following year Mr. Oxley entered on another expedition in the same locality, intending to trace the Macquarie to the inland sea into which it was supposed to cast its waters, and returned eastward until he reached the sea at Port Macquarie, whence he made his way to Newcastle. During this long journey the exploring party came in contact with natives of different tribes, but did not experience any difficulty in maintaining friendly relations with them; and it was only on their touching the coast that they had any trouble with the blacks. The coast natives they found to be exceedingly treacherous, and while professing to be most friendly they attacked the party on several occasions, and dangerously wounded some of the men.

About the same time an excursion was made by Governor Macquarie himself and a party of friends into the newly settled country to the Southward. On the Goulburn and Bredalbane plains the vice-regal party fell in with some natives, but nothing of an eventful nature transpired. As it was thought that Lake George and Lake Bathurst must be the sources of some considerable river which entered the sea on the southern coast, shortly after the Governor's trip in that direction, Lieutenant Johnson, R.N., was despatched, in the cutter "Snapper," to explore that portion of the coast where it was thought the mouth of this imaginary river was likely to be found. He was commissioned at the same time to inquire concerning the fate of Captain Stewart's party, who had been sent by the Governor a few months before to examine the coast in the neighbourhood of Twofold Bay, and had not been heard of since. But the supposed river had no existence. Johnson came across another river called by the natives Bandoo, to which be gave the name of Clyde, and up this stream he sailed for about thirty miles. On the way up he fell in with a tribe of natives who entered freely into conversation with two native boys he had taken with him as interpreters, and who elicited from their countrymen information regarding Stewart's fate. They said that he and his boat's crew lost their boat near Twofold Bay and were endeavouring to make their way overland back to Sydney when they were cut off by the Twofold Bay blacks and murdered. They also said that some convicts who had escaped from Port Jackson in a whale-boat had been lost in the bay through the boat upsetting; but Johnson saw some boat's gear in the blacks' camp, together with some tomahawks and knives, and he came to the conclusion that the runaways had also been massacred by the natives—perhaps by the very men to whom he was speaking.

When Mr. Oxley went to examine Port Curtis, a harbour which nearly a quarter of a century before had been entered and described by Captain Flinders, he met with a surprise on the return journey. The "Mermaid," in which he was sailing, anchored in the mouth of Pumice-stone River, Morton Bay, the very place where Flinders had anchored twenty two years before, and which, as they believed, had not been visited by any European in the interval. Scarcely had they landed when a number of men, supposed to be natives, were seen approaching the vessel. When they got near, however, the man who was foremost was observed to be of a much lighter colour than the others, and having come within speaking distance he hailed them in English. He was perfectly naked, and painted in the native fashion, and appeared wild with delight at having discovered his countrymen. "He was so bewildered with joy," says one of the party, in his account of the meeting, "that we could make very little out of his story that night; so, having distributed a few knives, handkerchiefs, &c., amongst the friendly blacks, we returned on board, taking him with us."

The man said his name was Thomas Pamphlet, and that with three other men he had left Sydney in a small coasting vessel eight months previously, to procure a cargo of cedar at Illawarra. They experienced a very heavy gale shortly after leaving port, and were driven out to sea with very little water on board. They had no knowledge of their position, as they were almost ignorant of navigation, but believed that during the storm they had been driven far to the southward, and that when it abated they were off Van Diemen's Land. They accordingly steered North, as well as they could guess by the sun, with the hope of being able to reach Port Jackson. Their water gave out, however, and on the thirteenth day one of their number, an old man-of-war's man named Thomson, went raving mad, and died a few days afterwards. A shower of rain at length partially supplied their wants; and still steering north, on the 15th of April—the twenty fourth day of their sufferings—they made for the land; and in their eagerness to reach a small stream of water which they perceived on reaching a sandy cove, they ran their boat on shore at a place where in a few minutes it was dashed to pieces. "No sooner did my foot touch the land," said Pamphlet, "than I ran to the fresh water, and lying down by it, I drank like a horse. The eagerness of my companions for fresh water exceeded mine. I had brought on shore a tin pint pot, and Parsons emptied this thirteen times in succession, while Finnegan lay down in the water and drank to such excess that his stomach could not retain it, but threw it all up again. This he repeated several times." They had stripped off their clothes for the purpose of swimming to the land, and were all perfectly naked. On the breaking up of the boat some bags of flour were washed ashore, and they secured from twenty to thirty pounds each, being as much as in their exhausted state they were able to carry. Being still under the impression that they were far to the south of Sydney, they set out along the shore in a northerly direction, and after travelling for a considerable distance, fell in with a tribe of natives, by whom they were kindly treated. They continued their journey towards the north for several days, and at length found they were on an island. Subsequently crossing to the mainland, they tried to fashion a canoe out of a tree with a small hatchet which they had saved from the wreck; but after working at that job for three months they found the little craft unsafe, and after a trial abandoned it and continued their journey on foot, still pressing north for Sydney, as they thought. All the native tribes they met with treated them kindly, pressing them to stay and take part in their hunts and fights. Pamphlet describes the rescue thus:—

"One evening, as I was sitting by the fire and the blacks were roasting fish for me, I heard some natives shouting on the beach and calling me, upon which I arose and walked slowly towards them; but what was my astonishment and delight when I saw a cutter under full sail standing up the bay, about three miles from where we stood! I instantly made towards her with all the speed I could, followed by a number of the natives, but before I had run half the distance she came to anchor within a half or a quarter of a mile of the shore. On coming abreast the vessel I hailed her, and was immediately answered; and shortly afterwards a boat pushed off from her, from which landed Mr. Oxley, the Surveyor-General, Lieutenant Stirling, of the Duffs, and Mr. Uniake. I now learned, to my great surprise, that I was at least five hundred miles to the north-ward of Port Jackson, instead of being, as we always imagined, to the south-wards of Jervis Bay. I was taken on board of the vessel that evening, where, after I was cleaned, I was decently clothed and humanely treated; but my head and heart were so much affected by this unexpected turn of fortune, that I was unable to answer any questions that were put to me that night. The next morning, however, I became more collected; and in the course of the day my satisfaction was greatly increased by the return of Finnegan, who experienced the same kind of treatment that I had previously done. I now found that upwards of eight months had elapsed since I left Sydney; consequently, I had spent nearly five of them with these hospitable natives of Morton Bay. Their behaviour to me and my companions had been so invariably kind and generous, that, notwithstanding the delight I felt at the idea of once more returning to my home, I did not leave them without sincere regret."

Pamphlet and his companion, Finnegan, proved of great service to the explorers, whom they guided to the river which they had run down, and which they named the Brisbane, in honour of the Governor.

About twelve months after Oxley's return from the voyage just narrated, another expedition was set on foot which turned out to be one of the most remarkable and successful of the many venturesome expeditions undertaken by the bold and hardy pioneers of the early days. Messrs Hovell and Hume were the explorers, and having formed a party of six men, prisoners of the Crown, after all preliminaries regarding outfit and arms had been arranged, they started overland from Lake George to make Western Port in Bass Straits.

The story of that adventurous trip is so interesting that one is almost tempted to give other portions than those which relate to the aborigines; but that cannot be. The party started from Appin early in October, 1824. They passed the limits settlement, 165 miles from Sydney, and soon after reached the banks of the Murrumbidgee River, which they found in full flood. Turning the body of one of their carts into a boat they managed to cross in safety and then plunged into the rugged and mountainous country beyond what are now known as Tumut and Adelong, finding great difficulty in scaling the precipitous cliffs, even after abandoning their carts, and then following the paths made by the natives or kangaroo tracks. Then from an eminence they caught sight of the snow-capped mountains to which they gave the name of the South Australian Alps, after which they turned Westward into more fertile and favourable country, and struck the river which they name the Hume, but which was afterwards called the Upper Murray. Crossing this by means of a boat made of wickerwork and tarpaulin they came in turn to other rivers—the Mitta Mitta, Ovens, the Broken River, and the Goulburn—and then, after encountering more difficult mountain ranges, they passed down into the coast country near Port Phillip, striking it not far from Geelong, when they set their faces homeward. The journey had occupied nearly three months from the time of starting, and the explorers succeeded in traversing a vast tract of country which has since become the feeding grounds of hundreds of thousands of sheep and cattle, or the location of thriving agricultural farms—thus bringing to nought the learned predictions of early scientific colonists, that the whole of the country in that direction was a barren, inhospitable desert.

Numerous natives were met with on the trip, but no very striking experiences in this connection are recorded. The blacks were found camped generally on the banks of the streams, and appeared to devote much time to fishing and wild fowl snaring.

Writing of the Murray blacks the scribe of the party says:—

"From the flax-plant which flourishes on the banks the natives make their fishing lines and the nets for carrying their travelling gear and provisions. In the lagoons they caught a kind of bream or carp, of the weight of about two pounds, and of the finest possible flavour. The lagoons were literally crowded with wild ducks, and in their muddy beds near the banks were plenty of large muscles, but inferior to those found in salt water. The natives dived for them in the same manner as they procured the mud oysters near Sydney, and these, with the fish caught in the river, seemed to form the principal part of their subsistence. Their method of fishing was as follows:—They selected the outlet from a lagoon, which generally consists of a stream of about two feet deep, and about five or six feet broad. Across this, at no great distance from its junction with the river, they formed a palisade with small stakes, which were driven firmly into the mud, and then carefully interwoven with wattles. Beyond this palisade, at the distance of five or six feet higher up the stream, they formed a similar palisade, but left an open midway in its length, of about two feet wide. A weir being thus prepared, the natives went into the lagoons, where it was sufficiently shallow for its purpose, and beating the water with their waddies, and disturbing it in every possible way, drove the fish before them into the weir."

After crossing the Goulburn river when returning the party came across a small company which had evidently previously came into contact with Europeans, doubtless on the coast. The account of the meeting runs thus:—

"In the course of the day we came by surprise upon the body of natives, consisting of eight men. They appeared much alarmed, and on perceiving the bullocks fled through a small creek, and concealed themselves among the reeds on its banks. In the evening, about a mile from the spot where they had been seen, the natives again made their appearance, and approached with marks of friendship. One of these men, dressed in an old yellow jacket, spoke a few words of English, and had been at Lake George. They had among them an iron axe and four tomahawks."

"The number afterwards received a considerable augmentation, amounting altogether to not less than forty able-bodied men, all armed. The horses having strayed, they assisted in bringing them in. When we were just going to start they begged we would accompany them to their camp, about a mile further up the creek, so that the women and children might have an opportunity of seeing us. Mr. Hume, taking three of the men with him, complied with their request, when he met with a party of about thirty women, as many children, and some fine young men. They were extremely pressing that he should stay, as they were going, they said, to have a "corrobera;" and two of them promised, in the event of his compliance, to accompany him the following day as far as the Murrumbidgee. The men were the finest natives he had ever seen; one of them was about six feet high, and another five feet nine inches and a half. They were all robust and well proportioned, and possessed what is unusual among the native tribes, well formed legs. Some of them had higher foreheads than are generally observed among their people. Their weapons are like those of the colony except the spears, which were made of strong knotty reeds, about six feet long, to which was affixed a piece of hardwood about two feet in length, with a rounded point barbed in some instances with numerous small pieces of flints or agate. Each of these people was furnished with a good ample cloak of opossum skin; many of them had necklaces made of small pieces of yellow reeds, strung with the fibre of the currajong, the flax plant, or the hair of the opossum. They appear to be a kind and inoffensive people."

"The first appearance of white men caused a considerable stir in the native camp among the women and children. The latter were engaged in play, practising in mimic shapes the art of the adult males, one boy rolling a piece of bark along the ground, while the others discharged small spears at the inanimate ball. The women were engaged in spinning flax. As soon as the strangers approached an old dame gave the alarm to the rest, exclaiming "White man! white man! Minija! Minija! (make haste make haste)" when the group at once disappeared in the scrub."

It will readily be understood from the particulars already given, that among the many dangers which the early explorers had to encounter on their hazardous journeys into the interior, attacks from hostile tribes of blacks were not by any means the least to be apprehended or faced. In order that the reader may fully understand the immense gravity of the situation in which these brave men (for without exception the early explorers were entitled to this designation) were placed, it will be necessary for me to narrate at some length the particulars of some of the more important expeditions, and this I shall now do without further preface.

In November, 1831, Sir Thomas Mitchell, who had been previously appointed Surveyor General, volunteered to lead a party in search of a river which an escaped prisoner, who had lived for some time with the blacks about Liverpool Plains, had reported existed in the north east. The man said the river was called Kuidur (Gwydir) and that he had followed it down to the sea. Having obtained permission, from the Governor, Sir Thomas, with two other volunteers, Messrs. White and Finch, and a party of fifteen convicts, started on the journey. On the 9th December they reached the Peel River, then the limit of exploration in this direction, and on the 22nd the Namoi, or main stream, which flows through the magnificent country of Liverpool Plains. Here canvas boats were constructed and launched, the intention being to explore the country by means of the water channel; but after encountering many difficulties the project was abandoned. Up to this point the explorers had not come into collision with the blacks, those they had met with being friendly. Beside one water course in which they camped they fell in with several aborigines afflicted with virulent kind of small pox, and among these they distributed a portion of their stock of medicine, which the blacks received with expressions of thankfulness. At one station which they passed a black volunteered to guide them as far as the Peel River, in consideration of receiving a tomahawk, and his services were gladly accepted on those terms. The guide was accompanied by his gin and boy, but after ten days' service he suddenly decamped, the party having reached the territory of the "Myall" blacks, as the remote and wilder aborigines were called. During their stay, however, the guide and his companions taught the explorers a lesson which proved to be of considerable value to them on succeeding expeditions. The water met with on the route was generally so warm and muddy as to be almost unfit for drinking. The blacks cooled it by digging near this main pool a hole into which the water filtered, and cleared it by throwing in tufts of grass, through which they drank, and which the explorers found not only purified the draught but imparted to it an agreeable fragrance.

On the 26th one of the men was sent back to Sydney with a despatch for the Government giving an account of the progress of the journey and explaining the future intentions of the party. He was mounted on horse back, armed with a pistol and provided with food for twelve days. The man was never heard of or seen again. Resuming the journey on land after the failure to navigate the stream, the party followed the course of the river until they reached the head waters of the Upper Darling, called by the natives Karaula (Macintyre). Here they found the aborigines sociable and confiding. They sat down, and insisted that the whites also should sit, talked much, and appeared merry. A disposition to steal, however, robbed the interview of its pleasantness, and upon a gun being discharged they left in a hurry, evidently being much terrified. At the Peel, Mr. Finch had been sent back to the Hunter, with instructions to procure as much provisions as he could pack on six bullocks, and then to follow the Expedition along a line of trees marked for his guidance. While the party were at the "Karaula" Mr. Finch returned with a most dismal story. His two men had been treacherously killed by the blacks, and all supplies, cattle, equipments, had fallen into the hand of the assailants. When within two days journey of the Gwydir, the bullocks had knocked up, and Finch deposited the stores in the vicinity of some ponds, and leaving the men in charge, started forward alone in hopes of coming up with the main party and obtaining assistance to bring on the provisions. Finding, however, that the main party had made greater headway than he anticipated, and were beyond reach, at the end of the second day he returned, only to find the stores, trunks and harness thrown in a heap, and beneath them the dead bodies of the two men. The tents had been cut to pieces, the stores had been strewn about, and a quantity of the flour had been carried away. Taking some pork and flour in a haversack, Finch hastened forward, and travelling day and night reached the main camp in safety.

The unexpected occurrence, and the setting in of the rainy season, caused Sir Thomas Mitchell to decide upon returning, and after the carts had been repaired he started on the homeward journey. In the course of their journey they were much alarmed at finding that the former tracks of the wheels had been obliterated by the prints of naked feet, made by aboriginals who had followed them, and evidently in large numbers. While encamped on the Gwydir, a party of 100 blacks, men and boys, approached, and occasioned some annoyance by their boisterous and overbearing demeanour. They went away on receiving a few presents. After journeying five days a party came to within a short distance of the spot where Finch's men had been murdered, and they naturally became more watchful. For several days they had been followed by a large body of blacks, who on one occasion endeavored to cut off one of the men who had fallen behind. On approaching the plain they found that the blacks had erected seven huts directly on their former line of march, between a lagoon and creek, as if to intercept the carts. The huts were found to be of substantial construction, and neatly thatched with grass and reeds. The party passed the barriers in safety and encamped on the open plain, the natives cautiously remaining within cover of the woods. A new course was now taken, which shortened the journey by ten days. On the 14th they were parallel with Finch's fatal camp, but were prevented from visiting it for three days by excessive rains, which fell during that period. When the sky cleared, Sir Thomas, accompanied by seven of the men, were led by Finch to the scene of the massacre, first having formed a barrier of the carts, with the remainder of the party in charge. After a journey of seventeen miles the party reached the spot, when they found that although the whole of the flour had been taken and the cattle had disappeared, no change had been made in the appearance of the camp. The first work was the burial of the bodies, and it was then seen that the unfortunate men must have been surprised when asleep, as they wore no other garments than their shirts. One side of the skull of each had been so shattered that pieces of the bone fell away as the bodies were being removed for burial. Having performed the sad ceremony the party gathered up the scattered equipments and proceeded to return, and then became aware that their movements were being watched by the natives, as signal fires were started simultaneously on the islands immediately surrounding. To render their situation still more difficult, night set in when they were yet nine miles from camp, and one of the horses knocked up. One of the men volunteered to remain behind until the horse had recovered sufficiently to resume his journey, and he reached the camp at 3 o'clock next morning, several hours after the others had compassed the journey in safety. Resuming their journey on the 22nd the party came up with a number of natives who endeavoured by every means in their power to show their wish to be friendly. They placed their spears and weapons in a heap across the track on which the carts were to pass, and could not be prevailed upon to move them. When the whole of the party had come together, the blacks called two of their gins, each of them having two, the one elderly and plump and the other younger, and these having come forward the whites were invited to take which they choose. The females on their part evinced no disposition to spare their favours, the wish of their proprietors being law; but the whites rejected their advances, the spectacle presented by the mutilated bodies of their former companions being too fresh in their recollection to admit of anything like reciprocity. They would rather, much rather, that the blacks had done something that would have given them an excuse for making an onslaught, and thus avenging the dead; but as these natives had evinced a peaceable and friendly disposition towards them on their journey out, and as there was no evidence to show that they knew anything of the murders, they were not molested. On the 28th the explorers recrossed the Peel and on the following day Sir Thomas pushed forward and reached the point from which he had started on the unsatisfactory and disastrous expedition.

Sturt, the explorer, gives many interesting particulars of the natives met with by him on his famous expedition into the south-west. His description of the trip in a whale-boat down the Murray River, below its junction with the Murrumbidgee, reads like a page from the "Wars of the Ancients," and is so crowded with thrilling situations that I make no apology for giving it in full. Says he:—

"As we sailed down the stream we observed a vast number of natives under the trees, and on a nearer approach we not only heard their war-song, if it may be so called, but remarked that they were painted and armed, as they generally are prior to engaging in a deadly conflict. Notwithstanding these outward signs of hostility, fancying that our four friends were with them, I continued to steer directly in for the bank on which they were collected. I found, however, when it was almost too late to turn into the succeeding reach to our left, that an attempt to land would only be attended with loss of life. The natives seemed determined to resist it. We approached so near that they held their spears quivering in their grasp ready to hurl. They were painted in various ways; some who had marked their ribs and thighs and faces with a white pigment, looked like skeletons; others were daubed with red and yellow ochre, and their bodies shone with the grease with which they had besmeared themselves. A dead silence prevailed amongst the front ranks, but those in the background, as well as the women, who carried supplies of darts, and who appeared to have had a bucket of whitewash capsized over their heads, were extremely clamorous. As I did not wish a conflict with these people, I lowered my sail, and putting the helm to starboard, we passed quietly down the stream in mid-channel.. .. I now explained to them that their only chance of escape depended, or would depend, on their firmness. I desired that after the first volley had been fired, Macleay and three of the men would attend to the defence of the boat with bayonets only, while I, Hopkinson, and Harris would keep up the fire, as being more used to it. I ordered, however, that no shot was to be fired until after I had discharged both my barrels. I then delivered their arms to the men, which had, as yet, been kept in the place appropriated for them, and at the same time some rounds of loose cartridge. The men assured me they would follow my instructions, and thus prepared, having already lowered sail, we drifted on with the current. As we neared the sandbank, I stood up, and made signs to the natives to desist, but without success. I took up my gun, therefore, and cocking it, had already brought it down to a level. A few seconds more would have closed the life of the nearest of the savages. The distance was too trifling for me to doubt the effectiveness of the discharge, for I was determined to take deadly aim, in the hope that the fall of one man might save the lives of many. But at the very moment when my hand was on the trigger, and my eye was along the barrel, my purpose was checked by Macleay, who called to me that another party of blacks had made their appearance on the left bank of the river. Turning, I observed four men at the top of their speed. The foremost of them, as soon as he got ahead of the boat, threw himself from a considerable height into the water. He struggled across the channel to the sandbank, and in an incredibly short space of time stood in front of the savage against whom my aim had been directed. Seizing him by the throat he pushed him backwards, and forcing all who were in the water upon the bank, he trod its margin with a vehemence and an agitation that were exceedingly striking. At one moment pointing to the boat, at another shaking his clenched hand in the faces of the most forward, and stamping with passion on the sand; his voice, that at first was distinct and clear, was lost in hoarse murmurs. Two of the four natives remained on the left bank of the river, but the third followed his leader—who proved to be the remarkable savage I had previously noticed—to the scene of action. The reader will imagine my feelings on this occasion; it is impossible to describe them. We were so wholly lost in interest in the scene that the boat was allowed to drift at pleasure. For my own part, I was overwhelmed with astonishment, and in truth stunned and confused; so singular, so unexpected, and so strikingly providential had been our escape."

Together the two parties of natives made up a crowd of about six hundred. "And thus," adds Sturt, "in less than a quarter of an hour from the moment when it appeared that all human intervention was at an end, and we were on the point of commencing a bloody fray, which, independently of its own disastrous consequences, would have blasted the success of the expedition, we were peacefully surrounded by the hundreds who had so lately threatened us with destruction; nor was it until we had returned to the boat, and had surveyed the multitude from the sloping bank above us, that we became fully aware of the extent of our danger, and of the almost miraculous intervention of Providence in our favour."

Shortly after this, and before they had sailed into the lake formed by the waters before they passed into the sea at Encounter Bay, they passed through a large tribe of inquisitive and troublesome natives, many of whom were suffering from a loathsome disease. One or more of the members of the tribe must have at some previous time come into contact with Europeans—perhaps escaped convicts in the interior, or whalers on the coast.

The reader will pardon me giving a short sketch of the remainder of this remarkable voyage, even though it should not furnish much information concerning the blacks. The object of the expedition had been accomplished. The explorers had solved the hitherto unsolvable geological question concerning the drainage of a large portion of the Australian continent, and they were elated beyond measure. But in the midst of their rejoicing a question forced itself forward which caused them no little anxiety and trouble. Owing to shoals and breakers they could not get their boat into the open sea, and they saw at once that the relief that was arranged to meet them at the Gulf of St. Vincent, in the shape of a small vessel, could not be availed of. They were too much exhausted to think of reaching by land the point where succour was awaiting them, and they had no alternative but to return by the way they had come. The formidable and disheartening nature of the prospect before them may be imagined. Their provisions were almost spent; the hard work and exposure of the last month had weakened and dispirited them; the current would be against them all the way back; and during the whole course of the journey up the rivers and across the country intervening they would be exposed to dangers even greater than those from which they had escaped. It was a dark look-out, certainly; but having decided upon their course of action, no time was lost in entering upon it, the leaders resolving to take their turn at the oars with the men, and to share all their labors and hardships.

From the first day of their return journey the explorers began to find fulfilment of their very worst apprehensions. It was only by the most desperate exertions with the oars that they could keep the boat moving up the stream at speed sufficient to keep the natives (who appeared to have anticipated their return) from crowding in upon them. They had to pull sometimes for ten and eleven hours at a stretch without a moment's rest, and so heavy was the strain that some of the men fainted, or became delirious, or fell asleep at their oars. All the natives were not hostile, however, and in places where the current was very rapid they sometimes assisted by pulling the boat with a rope. On several occasions the party were compelled in self defence to fire upon the blacks, but Sturt would only resort to harsh measures as a last resource. When the party reached the Murrumbidgee they were almost starving, but their difficulties were not half over.

Here is Sturt's realistic picture of their work and sufferings:—

"For seven days we pulled against the stream with determined perseverance, but human efforts, under privations such as ours, tended to weaken themselves.. . Our journeys were short, and the head we made against the stream but trifling. The men had lost the proper and muscular jerk with which they had once made the waters foam and the oars bend. Their whole bodies swung with awkward and labored motion. Their arms appeared to be nerveless and their faces became haggard, their persons emaciated, their spirits wholly sunk; nature was so completely overcome that from mere exhaustion they frequently fell asleep during their painful and almost sleepless exertions.. .. I became captious, and found fault where there was no occasion, and lost the equilibrium of my temper, in contemplating the condition of my companions. No murmur, however, escaped them, nor did any complaint reach me that was intended to indicate that they had done all they could no. I frequently heard them in their tent, when they thought I had dropped asleep, complaining of severe pains and great exhaustion. 'I must tell the captain to-morrow,' some of them would say 'that I can pull no more.' To-morrow came, and they pulled on, as if reluctant to yield to circumstances. Macnamee at length lost his senses. We first observed this from his incoherent conversation, but eventually from his manner. He related the most extraordinary tales, and fidgetted about externally while in the boat."

At length the crisis came. The men could pull no more, and then it was resolved that two of them should start overland to a spot where provisions had been secreted on the outward journey. The last modicum of food was divided between them and they set off. A week of anxious waiting and suffering passed at the camp. The last bit of food was divided between them, and they were about to set forward in the desperation of despair, preferring to starve moving than at rest, when their hearts were cheered by the re-appearance of the two faithful messengers, Mullholland and Hopkinson, who carried provisions with them. The two men were in a deplorable condition, through the enforced journey. Their ankles and knees were terribly swollen, and their limbs so painful that as soon as they arrived at the camp they sank under their efforts, although filled with joyous satisfaction that the relief they brought was in time to save their companions in distress from death. After resting a while the journey was resumed, and the party arrived in Sydney after an absence of nearly seven months, having accomplished one of the most difficult and hazardous journeys ever undertaken by man. Most of the men made rapid recovery, but Captain Sturt suffered for a long period, and eventually became quite blind; and although his sight was subsequently restored he never quite recovered from the effects of the hardships and deprivations to which he had subjected himself in the interests of science. What does not Australia owe to the brave pioneers of the days of old!