of making them understand us, or of obtaining any
information from them,—for if we could have
succeeded in this point, we should have gladly borne
every inconvenience,—all combined to estrange
us from these people and to make their presence disagreeable.
Yet there was an absolute necessity to keep up the
chain of communication, to ensure our own safety,
setting aside every other consideration; but as I
had been fortunate in my intercourse with the natives
during the first expedition, so I hoped the present
journey would terminate without the occurrence of
any fatal collision between us. The natives,
it is true, were generally quiet; but they crowded
round us frequently without any regard to our remonstrances,
laying hold of the boat to prevent our going away,
and I sometimes thought that had any of them been
sufficiently bold to set the example, many of the tribes
would have attempted our capture. Indeed, in
several instances, we were obliged to resort to blows
ere we could disengage ourselves from the crowds around
us, and whenever this occurred, it called forth the
most sullen and ferocious scowl—such, probably,
as would be the forerunner of hostility, and would
preclude every hope of mercy at their hands. With
each new tribe we were, in some measure, obliged to
submit to an examination, and to be pulled about,
and fingered all over. They generally measured
our hands and feet with their own, counted our fingers,
felt our faces, and besmeared our shirts all over
with grease and dirt. This was no very agreeable
ceremony, and a repetition of it was quite revolting,
more especially when we had to meet the grins or frowns
of the many with firmness and composure.
Tempestuous weather.
The weather had been tempestuous and rainy, for three
or four successive days: on the 28th it cleared
up a little. Under any circumstances, however,
we could not have delayed our journey. We had
not proceeded very far when it again commenced to
rain and to blow heavily from the N.W. The river
trended to the South. We passed down several rapids,
and observed the marks of recent flood on the trees,
to the height of seven feet. The alluvial flats
did not appear to have been covered, or to be subject
to overflow. The timber upon them was not of a
kind that is found on flooded lands, but wherever
reeds prevailed the flooded or blue gum stretched
its long white branches over them. The country
to the westward was low and bushy.
Singular formation of the banks.
The left bank of the Murray was extremely lofty, and
occasionally rose to 100 feet perpendicularly from
the water. It is really difficult to describe
the appearance of the banks at this place; so singular
were they in character, and so varied in form.
Here they had the most beautiful columnar regularity,
with capitals somewhat resembling the Corinthian order
in configuration; there they showed like falls of muddy