They absolutely managed before sunset to finish their whole stock, and then took their departure, having, I suppose, gratified both their appetite and their curiosity. They were all three circumcised and spoke7 a different language from that of the hill natives, and came, they told us, from the west.
As we advanced the country became extremely barren, and surface water was very scarce, and the open ground, entirely8 denuded9 of timber, wore the most desolate10 appearance. If we had hitherto been in a region destitute11 of inhabitants it seemed as if we were now getting into a more populous12 district. About noon of the 2nd, as Mr. Browne and I were riding in front of the chainers, we heard a shout to our right, and on looking in that direction saw a party of natives assembled on a sand hill, to the number of fourteen. As we advanced towards them they retreated, but at length made a stand as if to await our approach. They were armed with spears, and on Mr. Browne dismounting to walk towards them, formed themselves into a circle, in the centre of which were two old men, round whom they danced. Thinking that Mr. Browne might run some risk if he went near, I called him back, and as I really had not time for ceremonies, we rejoined the chainers, beng satisfied also that if the natives felt disposed to communicate with us, they would do so of their own accord; nor was I mistaken in this, for, judging, I suppose, from our leaving them that we did not meditate13 any hostility14, seven of their number followed us, and as Mr. Browne was at that time in advance, I gave my horse to one of the men and again went towards them, but it was with great difficulty that I got them to a parley15, after which they sat down and allowed me to approach, though from the surprise they exhibited I imagine they had never seen a white man before. They spoke a language different from any I had heard, had lost two of the front teeth of the upper jaw, and had large scars on the breast. I could not gather any information from them, or satisfactorily ascertain16 from what quarter they came; staying with them for a short time therefore, and giving them a couple of knives I left them, and after following abreast17 of us, for a mile or two, they also turned to the north, and disappeared.
The night of the 2nd August was exceedingly cold, with the wind from the N.E. (an unusual quarter from which to have a low temperature) and there was a thick hoar frost on the morning of the 3rd. Why the winds should have been so cold blowing from that quarter, whence our hottest winds also came, it is difficult to say; but at this season of the year, and in this line, they were invariably so.
Near the flat on which we stopped on the evening of the 2nd there was a hill considerably18 elevated above the others; which, after unsaddling and letting out the horses, Mr. Browne and I were induced to ascend19. From it we saw a line of high and broken ranges to the S.S.W. but they were very distant. At three and a half miles from this point we crossed a salt water creek20, having pools in it of great depth, but so clear that we could see to the bottom; and wherever our feet sank in the mud, salt water immediately oozed21 up. There were some box-trees growing near this creek, which came from the north, and fell towards the ranges. At half a mile further we crossed a small fresh water creek, and intermediate between the two was a lagoon22 of about a mile in length, but not more than three inches in depth. This lagoon, if it might so be called, from its size only, had been filled by the recent rains; but was so thick and muddy, from being continually ruffled23 by the winds, that it was unfit for use. The banks of the fresh water creek were crowded with water-hens, similar to those which visited Adelaide in such countless24 numbers the year before I proceeded into the interior (1843). They were running about like so many fowls25; but, on being alarmed, took flight and went south.
The fresh water creek (across which it was an easy jump) joined the salt water creek a little below where we struck it, and was the first creek of the kind we had seen since we left the Depot26, in a distance of more than 100 miles, and up to this point we had entirely subsisted27 on the surface water left by the rains. The country we now passed through was of a salsolaceous character, like a low barren sea coast. The sand hills were lower and broader than they had been, and their sides were cut by deep fissures28 made by heavy torrents29. From a hill, about a mile from our halting place on this day, we again saw the ranges, which had been sighted the day before. South of us, and distant about a mile, there was a large dry lagoon, white with salt, and another of a similar kind to the west of it.
These changes in the character of the country convinced me that we should soon arrive at some more important one. On the 4th we advanced as usual on a bearing of 75 degrees to the west of south, having then chained 65 miles upon it. At about three miles we observed a sand hill in front of us, beyond which no land was to be seen, as if the country dipped, and there was a great hollow. On arriving at this sand hill our further progress westward30 was checked by the intervention31 of an immense shallow and sandy basin, upon which we looked down from the place where we stood. The hills we had seen the day before were still visible through a good telescope, but we could only distinguish their outlines; in addition to them, however, there was a nearer flattopped range, more to the northward32 and westward of the main range, which latter still bore S.S.W., and appeared to belong to a high and broken chain of mountains. The sandy basin was from ten to twelve miles broad, but destitute of water opposite to us, although there were, both to the southward and northward, sheets of water as blue as indigo33 and as salt as brine. These detached sheets were fringed round with samphire bushes with which the basin was also speckled over. There was a gradual descent of about a mile and a half, to the margin34 of the basin, the intervening ground being covered with low scrub. My first object was, to ascertain if we could cross this feature, which extended southwards beyond the range of vision, but turned to the westward in a northerly direction, in the shape in which Mr. Eyre has laid Lake Torrens down. For this purpose Mr. Browne and I descended35 into it. The bed was composed of sand and clay, the latter lying in large masses, and deeply grooved36 by torrents of rain. There was not any great quantity of salt to be seen, but it was collected at the bottom of gutters37, and, no doubt, was more or less mixed with the soil. At about four miles we were obliged to dismount; and, tying our horses so as to secure them, walked on for another mile, when we found the ground too soft for our weight and were obliged to return; and, as it was now late, we commenced a search for water, and having found a small supply in a little hollow, at a short distance from the flag, we went to it and encamped. The length of the chain line to the flag staff was 70 3/4 miles, which with the 61 we had measured from the Depot, made 131 3/4 miles in all; the direct distance, therefore, from the Depot to the flag staff, was about 115 miles, on a bearing of 9 1/2 degrees to the North of West or W. 3/4 N.
Lake Torrens
My object in the journey I had thus undertaken, was not so much to measure the distance between the two places, as to ascertain if the country to the north-west of Lake Torrens, on the borders of which I presumed I had arrived, was practicable or not, and whether it was connected with any more central body of water. It behoved me to ascertain these two points with as little delay as possible, for the surface water was fast drying up, and we were in danger of having our retreat cut off. Whether the country was practicable or not, in the direction I was anxious to take, it was clear that I could not have penetrated38 as far as I then was, with the heavy drays, with any prudence39.
To be more satisfied, however, as to the nature of the country to the westward, I rode towards the N.E. angle of the Sandy Basin, on the morning of the 4th, sending Mr. Stuart southwards, to examine it in that direction; but, neither of these journeys proving satisfactory, I determined40 on fixing the position of the hills in reference to our chained line, and then return to the Depot, to prepare for a more extensive exploration of the N.W. interior. I found the country perfectly41 impracticable to the N.W., and that it was impossible to ascertain the real character of this Sandy Basin. On the other side of it the country appeared to be wooded; beyond the wood there was a sudden fall; and, as far as I could judge, this singular feature must have been connected with Spencer’s Gulf42, before the passage that evidently existed once between them, was filled up.
On the 5th I ran a base line from the end of the chained line to the north-west, on a bearing of 317 degrees, to the only prominent sand hill in that direction, distant from the staff 5 1/2 miles, from the extremities43 of which the ranges bore as follow:—
BEARINGS FROM THE FLAG STAFF AT THE TERMINATION OF THE CHAINED LINE.
To a bluff44 point in the main range 198.00
To the north point of the south range 188.40
To the north point 182.50
To the highest point in south range 187.00
To the flat-topped hills 231.00
To the north-west point of the lake 283.00
To the south point 158.00
BEARINGS FROM THE NORTH-WEST EXTREMITY45.
To the bluff 194.30
To the north point of south range 184.00
To the south 183.00
To the flat-topped hills 176.30
To the north-west extremity of lake 275.00
The angles given by these bearings were necessarily very acute, but that could not be avoided. With the bearings, however, from a point in our chain line, 16 miles to the rear, they gave the distance of the more distant ranges as 65 miles, that of the nearer ones as 33.
Our latitude46, by altitudes of Vega and Altair, on the night of the 5th of August, was 29 degrees 14 minutes 39 seconds, and 29 degrees 15 minutes 14 seconds; by our bearings, therefore, the flat-topped hills were in lat. 29 degrees 33 minutes, and the bluff, in the centre of the distant chain, where there appeared to be a break in it, in 30 degrees 10 minutes, and in long. 139 degrees 12 minutes.
Presuming our Depot to have been in lat. 29 degrees 40 minutes 10 seconds, and in long. 141 degrees 30 minutes E., and allowing 52 1/2 miles to a degree, our long. by measurement was 139 degrees 20 minutes E. I had ascertained47 the boiling point of water at our camp, about 100 feet above the level of the basin to be 212 75/100; which made our position there considerably below the level of the sea: but in using the instrument on the following morning in the bed of the basin itself, I unfortunately broke it. As, however, the result of the observation at our bivouac gave so unusual a depression, and as, if it was correct, Lake Torrens must be very considerably below the level of the sea, I can only state that the barometer48 had been compared with one in Adelaide by Capt. Frome, and that, allowing for its error, its boiling point on a level with the sea had been found by him to be 212 25/100.
On the 6th I left the neighbourhood of this place, and stopped at 16 miles to verify our former bearings. The country appeared more desolate on our return to the camp than when we were advancing. Almost all the surface water had dried up, or now consisted of stagnant49 mud only, so that we were obliged to push on for the Park, at which we arrived on the 8th. On the 10th we completed the year, it being the anniversary of our departure from Adelaide.
I found that every thing had gone on regularly in the camp during my absence, and that the cattle and sheep had been duly attended to. Davenport had also dug and planned out a fine garden, which he had planted with seeds, but none had as yet made their appearance above the ground.
The day after our return to the camp we were visited by two natives, who were attracted towards us by the sound of the axe50. They were crossing the plain, and were still at a considerable distance when they observed Davenport pointing a telescope, on which they stopped, but on my sending a man to meet them, came readily forward. We were in hopes that we should see our old friend in the person of one of them, but were disappointed; nor would they confirm any of his intelligence, neither could they recognise any of the fish in the different plates I had shewn him. In truth, we could get nothing out of these stupid fellows; but, as we gave them plenty to eat, they proposed bringing some other natives to taste our mutton, on the following day; and, leaving us, returned, as they said, with their father and brother, the latter a fine young lad. But neither from the old man could we gather any information, as to the nature of the country before us. These people were circumcised, like many others we had seen, but were in no way disfigured by the loss of their teeth or cuts. I can say as little for their cleanliness as for their information, since they melted the fat we gave them in troughs, and drank it as if it had been so much oil, emptying what remained on their heads, rubbing the grease into their hair, and over their bodies.
I felt satisfied on mature reflection that if the country continued to any distance either to the northward or westward, such as we had found it on our recent journey, it would be highly imprudent to venture into it with the whole party. Setting aside the almost utter impossibility of pulling the drays over the heavy sand ridges51 by which our route would be intersected, little or no surface water now remained. The ground was becoming as dry and parched52 as it had been before the fall of rain. I determined therefore before I again struck the tents to examine the country to the north-west, and not incautiously to hazard the safety of the party by leading it into a region from which I might find it difficult to retreat. As soon therefore as I had run up the charts, I prepared for this journey. Our position at the new Depot was in latitude 29 degrees 6 minutes 30 seconds, and in longitude53 141 degrees 5 minutes 8 seconds, it therefore appeared to me if I ran on a bearing of 45 degrees to the west of north, I should gain the 138th meridian54 about the centre of the continent, and at the same time cross into the Tropics at the desired point, and I felt certain that if there were any mountain chains or ranges of hills to the westward of me connected with the north-east angle of the continent I should be sure to discover them.
In preparing for this important journey, on which it was evident the success of the expedition would depend, I took more than ordinary precautions. I purposed giving the charge of the camp to Mr. Stuart. — I had established it on a small sandy rise, whereon we found five or six native huts. This spot was at the northern extremity of the Park, but a little advanced into it. Immediately in front of the tents there was a broad sheet of water shaded by gum-trees, and the low land between this and the sand hills was also chequered with them. The position was in every way eligible55. The open grassy56 field or plain stood full in view, and the men could see the cattle browsing57 on it, but I directed Mr. Stuart never to permit them to be without one of the men as a guard, and to have them secured nightly in the stockyard. In order to provide for the further security of the camp, I marked out the lines, for the erection of a stockade58, wherein I directed Mr. Stuart to pitch one of the bell tents. In this tent I instructed him to deposit the arms and ammunition59, and to consider it as the rallying point in the event of any attack by the natives, in which case I told him his first step would be to secure the sheep. I desired that the stockade might be commenced as soon as I left, and that it should be built of palisades 4 1/2 feet above the ground, and arranged close together. In such a fortification I considered that the men would be perfectly safe, and as the stockyard was in a short range of the carbines I felt the cattle would be sufficiently60 protected.
I selected Flood, Lewis, and Joseph to accompany me, and took 15 weeks provisions. This supply required all the horses but one, for although they had so long a rest at the old Depot they were far from being strong, since for the last three months they had lived on salsolaceous herbs, or on the shoots of shrubs61, so that although apparently62 in good condition they had no work in them. My last instructions to Morgan were to prepare and paint the boat in the event of her being required.
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1
allay
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| v.消除，减轻(恐惧、怀疑等) | |
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vehemently
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| adv. 热烈地 | |
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pacify
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| vt.使(某人)平静(或息怒)；抚慰 | |
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mustered
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| v.集合，召集，集结（尤指部队）( muster的过去式和过去分词 )；（自他人处）搜集某事物；聚集；激发 | |
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5
devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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7
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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8
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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9
denuded
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| adj.[医]变光的，裸露的v.使赤裸( denude的过去式和过去分词 )；剥光覆盖物 | |
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10
desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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11
destitute
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| adj.缺乏的；穷困的 | |
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12
populous
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| adj.人口稠密的，人口众多的 | |
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13
meditate
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| v.想，考虑，（尤指宗教上的）沉思，冥想 | |
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hostility
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| n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争 | |
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parley
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| n.谈判 | |
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16
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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abreast
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| adv.并排地；跟上(时代)的步伐，与…并进地 | |
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considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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creek
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| n.小溪，小河，小湾 | |
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oozed
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| v.（浓液等）慢慢地冒出，渗出( ooze的过去式和过去分词 )；使（液体）缓缓流出；（浓液）渗出，慢慢流出 | |
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lagoon
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| n.泻湖，咸水湖 | |
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ruffled
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| adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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fowls
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| 鸟( fowl的名词复数 )； 禽肉； 既不是这； 非驴非马 | |
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depot
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| n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站 | |
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subsisted
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| v.（靠很少的钱或食物）维持生活，生存下去( subsist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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fissures
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| n.狭长裂缝或裂隙( fissure的名词复数 )；裂伤；分歧；分裂v.裂开( fissure的第三人称单数 ) | |
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torrents
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| n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断 | |
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westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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intervention
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| n.介入，干涉，干预 | |
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northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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indigo
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| n.靛青，靛蓝 | |
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margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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grooved
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| v.沟( groove的过去式和过去分词 )；槽；老一套；（某种）音乐节奏 | |
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37
gutters
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| （路边）排水沟( gutter的名词复数 )； 阴沟； （屋顶的）天沟； 贫贱的境地 | |
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penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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prudence
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| n.谨慎，精明，节俭 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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43
extremities
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| n.端点( extremity的名词复数 )；尽头；手和足；极窘迫的境地 | |
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44
bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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45
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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46
latitude
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| n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区 | |
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47
ascertained
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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48
barometer
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| n.气压表，睛雨表，反应指标 | |
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49
stagnant
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| adj.不流动的，停滞的，不景气的 | |
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50
axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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51
ridges
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| n.脊( ridge的名词复数 )；山脊；脊状突起；大气层的)高压脊 | |
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52
parched
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| adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干 | |
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53
longitude
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| n.经线，经度 | |
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54
meridian
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| adj.子午线的；全盛期的 | |
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55
eligible
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| adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的 | |
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grassy
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| adj.盖满草的；长满草的 | |
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browsing
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| v.吃草( browse的现在分词 )；随意翻阅；（在商店里）随便看看；（在计算机上）浏览信息 | |
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58
stockade
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| n.栅栏，围栏；v.用栅栏防护 | |
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ammunition
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| n.军火，弹药 | |
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60
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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61
shrubs
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| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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62
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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