1847 - Angas, G. F. Savage Life and Scenes in Australia and New Zealand [Vol I.] - CHAPTER II: JOURNEY TO THE MURRAY, THE LAKES ALEXANDRINA AND ALBERT, AND THE SHORES OF THE COORONG

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CHAPTER II.

JOURNEY TO THE MURRAY, THE LAKES ALEXANDRINA AND ALBERT, AND THE SHORES OF THE COORONG.

SOON after my arrival at Adelaide, I started for the lake country, in company with Messrs. Giles and Randall; their object being to select fresh sheep and cattle runs for the South Australian Company, and my own to examine the aspect and productions of that district. A light cart was sent forward with a tarpaulin, to serve the purpose of a tent, and a supply of flour, tea, and other necessary provisions. Mounted upon our horses, each with a tether rope slung round its neck, we might have been seen very early one bright morning in January, crossing the plains to the eastward of the city of Adelaide. The sun was already scorching. We soon commenced a gentle ascent towards the hills, and pursued our way along the great eastern or Mount Barker road, which suddenly enters a winding romantic pass between abrupt hills, scattered over with gum trees; this is

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Glen Osmond. At the entrance of the pass is the only turnpike in the colony, and further up the glen there stood the picturesque little tent of Poole, the surveyor, 1 appearing at an angle of the road, amidst a cluster of red-blossomed castor-oil trees.

A rustic bridge and embankment add to the romantic effect of the glen, and the steep declivities of the hills on each side, and the zigzag character of the pathway, are varied by scattered gum trees, grouped in ornamental and picturesque positions.

The road becomes very steep as it ascends the Mount Lofty range, and on gaining the heights, a stupendous and magnificent scene presents itself. Looking back, the plains we had recently left were stretched out far beneath us, extending to the shores of St. Vincent's Gulf; the hazy blue of its calm bosom being discernible to its whole extent, and the faint outline of the opposite coast of Yorke's peninsula bounding the horizon. From this point the scenery on all sides is enchanting; and whoever the settler may be who has perched his habitation amidst these mountains, he has certainly shown his taste in selecting one of nature's loveliest positions, commanding some of the finest views in the colony. The port and the creek, with its tortuous windings, are seen like a map below; and the vast extent of the Gawler plains, separated by the river Parra

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from those of Parra and Adelaide, extend northwards till they melt away in the remote distance.

We now pursued our path through the leafy shades of the "stringy-bark" forests that clothe these mountainous ironstone ranges. They consist of tall primeval trees of a kind of eucalyptus, their erect and massive trunks blackened, in many places as high as fifteen or twenty feet from the ground, by the tremendous fires that sweep through these forests, and continue to blaze and roll along, day and night, for many miles, in one continuous chain of fire. These conflagrations usually take place during the dry heats of summer; and frequently at night, the hills, when viewed from Adelaide, present a singular and almost terrific appearance: being-covered with long streaks of flame, so that one might fancy them a range of volcanoes.

The leaf of the stringy-bark is darker and broader than that of the gum-tree, and the texture of the bark is tough, fibrous, and easily convertible into a species of cordage, for which purpose it is employed by the Mount Barker natives. Amongst the low flowering shrubs, the bulrush-like heads of the grass-tree (xantharea) impart a singular character to these Australian forests; and from the deep ravines to the topmost summits, shutting out the glare of daylight, rise belt upon belt of noble trees, towering to the elevation of from eighty to a hundred feet.

A great quantity of the timber of the stringy bark is used for fencing, "shingles" for roofing

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houses and other purposes. The men who prepare the wood are called "splitters;" and occasionally in some deep glen in the mountain forest there is suddenly revealed a group of busy workmen, with their gipsy-like encampment around them scattered with felled timber and planks on all sides, while the sharp sound of the axe rings echoing through the solitude, proclaiming the dawn of civilization and industry. These men get good wages; and a free and crusoe-like life amongst the "tiers," as they call these successions of hills and valleys, is their favourite mode of existence. After the rainy season is over, the brushwood is a mass of tangled flowers; and even during the hottest weather some species of epacris and everlasting are still to be seen in blossom.

These ironstone ranges retain moisture for a long time; from which circumstance, and partly also from the shelter and shade afforded by the trees, the grass looks green and verdant through the summer; whilst on the plains, in the months of January, February, and March, it is sere and yellow from the scorching heat.

The singing of the cicada--an insect belonging to the order Homoptera--was loud and incessant throughout the whole forest, interrupted by the occasional notes of the musical magpie, whose shrill pipings are known to every Australian settler. The "laughing jackass," too, sends forth his hoarse laughter from the bare and solitary limb of some stricken tree.

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On approaching Echunga springs, the land becomes undulating, and is less densely wooded. The she-oak (casuarina), the blackwood {acacia), and the vivid green of the exocarpus--the native cherry of the colonists--with the elegant Banksia, covered with tall cones, form a change in the character of the foliage. The "native cherry" somewhat resembles an "arbor vitae," and the fruit, from which it has obtained its name, is a small red berry, with the stone or kernel outside attached to the end of the fruit. I would observe, by the way, that all the indigenous trees of South Australia, in common with those of other parts of the Australian continent, and also of New Zealand, are evergreens. Though this perpetual verdure has the appearance of one eternal summer, yet English trees and shrubs introduced into the soil shed their leaves as usual; reminding us, by their bare branches, of the varied seasons of the north.

The picturesque little township of Macclesfield is situated on the river Angas. This stream has its source in some clear bubbling springs near the township that gush up from the earth, shaded by mimosa trees, supplying a running brook of delicious water that is never dry. Macclesfield is a pretty spot: the white cottages and tents of the settlers, intermingled with corn-fields and gardens, and groups of cattle reposing under the shade of the gum trees, bespeak the nucleus of a future town. Its native appellation is Kangooarinilla. Here

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some of my shipmates have taken up their abode, and exchanged the scenes and turmoils of busy London, for the calm and peaceful recesses of this sweet solitude--

The distant thunder, that had commenced its rumbling over Mount Barker, drew nearer, and shortly after torrents of rain began to descend; in a couple of hours it cleared off, the evening sunlight gilding the vaporous mists that still hung over the hills; the ground sent forth a sweet fragrance from the moisture, and all nature looked fresh and revived.

From the summits of the Bugle range, the eye wanders over crowded hills, thickly sprinkled with wood, in all the beauty and grandeur of their primeval state. The rich purple of evening had settled over them, and the rolling mists lay wrapped as a mantle around their sides; the grasshopper chirped briskly; and at the brimming pools, left by the afternoon's shower, the parrots might be seen slaking their thirst; whilst the air was filled with that

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aromatic fragrance, so frequent in the woods of Australia, arising from the young shoots and blossoms of various trees. The long grass-like foliage of the casuarina now appeared as though it were strung with diamonds, every tuft glittering with thousands of rain drops, that fell off in little showers as we brushed past them on horseback.

The night was dark and sultry, without moon or stars; the extreme stillness of the woods was interrupted only by the melancholy cry of a small owl (athene boobook), the native cuckoo of the settlers. It was a memory of home--strange, yet pleasant--to hear the song of the cuckoo, sounding at intervals, like some spirit's voice through the gloom, in a lone forest of the Antipodes. Unlike the gay, cheerful note of our spring harbinger, its cry was sad and plaintive, and better suited for the solemn hours of night.

We found, to our dismay, that the horses were no longer pursuing the track; and, without a ray of light or even a star to guide us, we groped for some hours amongst rocks and brushwood, anticipating the pleasures of a night in the bush, with neither fire nor food to cheer us, and no other resting-place than the wet ground. At last we regained a path of some kind; for the tread of our horses' feet sounded more hollow, and in less than an hour we saw a light twinkling amongst the trees: its friendly ray bespoke a settler's cottage, and we found ourselves not far from Strathalbyn. Instead of our

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anticipated night in the damp woods, we here found good cheer of household fare, and sofas whereon to rest.

The country between Strathalbyn and the river Murray is flat, with a poor and sandy soil. We crossed the river Brenner, which is here a chain of pools, between high, steep banks. These deep channels are a peculiar characteristic of the smaller rivers of Australia; though frequently almost dry in the hot season, a mighty flood rushes along during winter: as is shown by the residue of sticks, scum, and grass, left in the branches of the gum trees that line their course, for many feet above the supposed ordinary height of the stream. The bed or ravine of the Bremer is full of large blue gums, many of them appearing blackened and bare from the ravages of a recent fire, that has swept across the river, leaving a black and withered track to mark its progress. After these fires, a sweet and luxuriant grass springs up, and the other vegetation sprouts with new luxuriance during the rainy season. Hence the reason why the roots of the shrubs and plants are in many places so large; being frequently burned off above, whilst the original vigour of the root below the surface continues unimpaired.

On the banks of the Bremer I found one of those singular scaly lizards (trachydosaurus asper), lying curled round; its speckled brown and yellow sides, at the first glance, conveying the idea of a snake.

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On being disturbed, it assumed a most threatening aspect, raised itself higher on its legs, elevated its neck, and opened an enormously wide rose-coloured mouth, from which a black tongue was protruded: it seemed a dragon in miniature. Knowing it to be a sluggish and harmless animal, I took it up by its round blunt tail, and carried it to the opposite bank of the river; it stood perfectly still, all the while displaying its throat and tongue, until it imagined us gone, when it began most cautiously to look round in every direction, and descended the bank with measured steps, making straight for its former hiding-place.

Beyond the Bremer is another creek, with fine gum trees, and then commences the great eucalyptus scrub, which extends nearly to the river Murray, and runs northward for a considerable distance. The "scrub" is one of the characteristic features of an Australian scene; belts of it frequently intersect the good country, and many miles are covered with it, extending almost like a blue and level sea towards the horizon, unbroken by an object of any magnitude. The gum bushes, of which this scrub is composed, rise from 3 to 10 or 12 feet high, and grow close together, forming one vast copse; and the soil is little better than a loose light sand. The road lying through it to the Murray has been formed by bullock drays constantly following the same track, and is full of the stumps of the gum tree roots, which stick up from

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the sand, and render travelling for the horses unpleasant.

Northwards, beyond the line of the scrub, Mount Barker, with its saddle-backed summit, forms a conspicuous and interesting object; and, indeed, for many leagues in the interior, beyond the Murray, this mountain forms a landmark for overland parties from New South Wales, by which they steer for the settled districts of this colony. Still further to the north, the Barossa heights are seen faintly jutting above the clear blue line of the horizon.

Half way through the scrub, a herd of wild cattle rushed past us; probably making their way through this parched and inhospitable region to the water-holes and pastures of the Bremer.

The scrub gradually changes to a sandy heath, scattered with she-oak trees and occasional groups of pine. White and yellow everlasting flowers grow abundantly over these plains, which continue all the way to the Murray river; and a parasitical plant, not unlike the mistletoe in its growth, ornaments the she-oak trees, bearing bright scarlet flowers, tipped with pale green.

The she-oak is generally considered indicative of an inferior soil; whilst, on the other hand, the presence of the blackwood tree denotes a rich and good country.

It was a bright, sultry day, with brilliant clouds scattered over the sky; and we frequently rested beneath some tree that afforded a small spot of shade.

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Salt lagoons are scattered over these heathy plains, in considerable numbers: some extend for half a mile, and others are no larger than a moderate sized pond. They yield a vast supply of pure salt, which lies encrusted on the surface, when the power of the sun has evaporated the water which held it in solution, and imparts a singular appearance to this desolate region; the white salt glittering like snow over their shallow beds.

The ground is covered with a variety of salsalaceous plants, amongst which the Hottentot fig (Mesembryanthemum) is the most abundant. The berry, which is one of the few indigenous fruits of Australia, is eaten by the natives, and tastes not at all unpalatably. During spring, the plains resemble a crimson carpet, from the profuse and beautiful blossoms of these salsalacidae.

It was plainly indicated, by the numerous birds enlivening the bushes, that we were not far from the Murray: their varied notes sounded cheerfully, after the stillness of the inhospitable desert we had crossed.

Suddenly we came in sight of the river: the noble Murray, half a dozen miles above its junction with the lake, was flowing gently beneath us; its deep blue waters meandering through a vast extent of reeds, the vivid green of which was truly refreshing to the eye. Its course was so gentle as to be barely perceptible: deep, and broad, and smooth as a glassy mirror, it flowed tranquilly and majestically

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onwards in silent grandeur to the ocean. Rising from the snow-fed sources of the Australian Alps, it waters, for 1200 miles, vast districts of the interior, and then enters Lake Alexandrina, where it is rendered unapproachable from the sea, for vessels of any size, by its sandy and dangerous mouth.

Gazing on this noble river for the first time--a river, till within the last few years, unknown to the civilized world--one cannot forget that little band of bold and adventurous men, who, headed by Captain Sturt, were the first Europeans to explore this river. They cast themselves fearlessly upon its bosom, and were borne down for 1000 miles, through savage tribes and desert regions, until they traced its junction with the lake, and arrived at the shores of the southern ocean.

Overlooking the banks of the river stands the station of mounted police, generally known as "Mason's Hut:" the only dwelling that marks the site of the Utopian "City of Wellington." Mason, who is a corporal of police, has lived for some years on the Murray, possesses great influence amongst the natives, and speaks their language better than any other individual. Mason's hut was built by himself, and is truly a Robinson Crusoe-like tenement. The sides and roof are formed of the long reeds of the Murray, and the doors of sheep-skins stretched upon wooden frames. All within is kept in the nicest order: fire-arms, cutlasses, and culinary utensils are arranged round

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the walls; and stretchers, with opossum-skin rugs, supply the place of beds. The humble board, set out with bright tin plates and pannikins of hot tea made in the kettle, a piece of salt mutton or some fish, with an enormous "damper" just out of the ashes, affords a welcome sight to the hungry traveller; who is sure to meet with hospitality at the hut, unless he be a bushranger, or a runaway convict from the other colonies.

Through the kindness of his Excellency the Governor, Mason had orders to accompany me to the Lakes and the Coorong; and with such a guide, armed and mounted, I went fearlessly onwards, to visit the tribes of Milmendura and Lake Albert.

The neighbourhood of the police-house is the grand rendezvous of the Lower Murray natives; and, owing to the judicious treatment they have received--kindness and protection, blended with the strictest discipline -- they are generally peaceable and harmless. The mounted police are regarded by the natives as belonging to the highest order of white men; and, indeed, when first seen by the tribes higher up the Murray, they were supposed to form a part of the horses on which they rode, and were regarded with terror as fearful centaurs.

Three or four native boys were sitting round one of their small fires, outside the hut, roasting a sheep's foot in the embers, and besmearing their bodies with some of its fat. These little creatures,

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all in a state of nudity, fetch wood and water, go after the horses, and make themselves generally useful about the station. The men were out fishing in their canoes, and the women and girls being busily employed in gathering bulrush-root for supper, they did not arrive at their fires until after sunset. I crossed the river in one of their canoes; which are made merely of a sheet of bark from the blue gum-tree, warped up at the sides by the application of moisture and fire, and stopped at the ends with strong clay. They are paddled by means of a long spear, having a sharpened kangaroo-bone fixed at one end, for spearing fish. The spear is held in both hands, and the paddler wields it standing; preserving the most delicate balance, which a breath of wind is sufficient to upset. During cold weather a fire is invariably carried in the canoe, raised on a small platform of clay, supported by wet weeds and mud; and by these fires they frequently cook a portion of their fish whilst on the water. Two, or, at the most, three individuals, can be conveyed in these frail shells of bark.

Floating islands, covered with reeds, are frequently to be seen on this river. These masses of earth, originally detached from the banks by floods or otherwise, are frequently drifted from side to side, and not a few find their way to the lake. A species of stinging nettle grows abundantly amongst the reeds; and, especially in times of scarcity, it is

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eaten by the natives, who bake it between heated stones.

Very deadly are the large black snakes that conceal themselves amongst the long sedgy grass, on the margin of the river. Several native women have died, in consequence of bites received on their naked feet, whilst seeking for bulrush-root amongst the reeds; Mason also was bitten in the hand, whilst tethering out his horse, and would, in all probability, have fallen a victim to the fatal poison, had he not had the presence of mind to cut out the part instantly.

The fresh-water mussels found in the muddy flats of the river are much sought after by the natives, who cook them by burying them in the ashes of their wooden fires. The shells are used to scrape the fibres of the bulrush-root, after it has been well chewed, for the purpose of making cord for their mats and baskets.

The simplicity and sharpness of the native children is often amusing. They were particularly struck with the appearance of one of our party, who was inclined to be rather corpulent; and they danced about their fires, singing, in their broken English, "He berry big man--he plenty tuck out:" imagining my friend's size, like that of their own distended paunches, arose from too plentiful a "tuck out" of green and juicy diet.

Corporal Mason kindly gave me up his stretcher for the night; but, unfortunately, myriads of that

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scourge of all warm climates, the parasitical flea, had been introduced with a neglected sheep-skin, and I was driven out of the hut by my tormentors, to enjoy the splendour of the moonlight reflected on the calm surface of the Murray. The air was perfectly still, mild, and balmy, and the distant fires of the natives, along the opposite banks of the river, were visible for many miles.

The native plum is a bushy shrub, growing in sandy places, on the margin of the Murray and the neighbouring lakes; it is also found amongst the scrub of the sand-hills, and on the salt and barren shores of the Coorong and the sea-coast. The whole plant appears of a salsalaceous character. The fruit, when ripe, is about the size of a sloe, growing in clusters at the end of the branches, with a flavour partaking at once of salt, acid, and sugar. The fruit is first green, then amber, afterwards red; and, when fully ripe, of a deep, semi-transparent, purple colour, containing a long slender stone.

At a place called Wirrum-wirrum by the natives we met with a day's detention, in having to cross the river Murray. Here tolerably firm ground extends to the water's side, and the reedy flats on the other bank are very narrow. After taking the cart to pieces, and stowing it in a boat, we had to swim our horses across, one by one; which was a tedious undertaking, as they continually got bogged in the mud, amongst the reeds at the water's edge.

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A fine view of the river is obtained from the high ground on its opposite bank, from which spot the eye may trace it winding in the most graceful sweeps, between "fields of living green." The hills rising from the valley or basin of the Murray are clothed with belts of pine, and beyond is the extensive country of scrub. Mount Barker, deeply purple in the shades of evening, shuts out the view to the westward. A few scattered gum-trees grow along the water's edge; and these are the resort of multitudes of black shags, or the less numerous white ibis, which roost on their decayed branches. The cry of spur-winged plovers feeding along the soft soil, and the flutter of an occasional bronze-winged pigeon coming to the river to drink, frequently broke the quietude of night. The musquittoes around our fire were a plague; and large ghost-moths fluttered into the embers, in such quantities that the natives made a capital supper on their scorched and roasted bodies. Wrapping myself up in my blanket I lay down near the fire, beneath the clear starry sky, till dawn.

The country along the right bank of the Murray towards Lake Alexandrina is a limestone tract, with level plains of desert-like appearance, covered with salsalaceous plants and salt lagoons. Our horizon eastward was bounded by the blue and unknown hills of the Tattayarra country.

A graceful broomlike tree, bearing clusters of yellow blossoms, grows amongst the reeds; and

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bushes of the Polygonum, with its leafless and juicy stems, through which the brilliant blue wrens are constantly fluttering like blossoms, occur plentifully not far from the banks of the Murray.

In this district the natives were very numerous, their encampments being scattered along the narrow strip of ground between the limestone cliffs and the water's edge: there they find plenty of food from the fish, mussels, crayfish, bulrush-root, and other products of this large river. We frequently came upon their ovens or cooking fires, resembling kilns, beneath which the roots of the bulrush were being steamed between heated stones. The women at our approach ran into the reeds; the sounds of their low jabbering voices becoming less distinct as they sought their hiding-places.

Whilst encamped in a pine forest, we were approached by a droll-looking fellow: a tall, muscular native, perfectly naked, armed with a wirri and a spear, and having the hair of his beard, whiskers, and other parts of his body most carefully plucked out. From the crown of the head to the waist he was copiously plastered with red ochre and grease, which dripped from his long matted ringlets; and his hair was ornamented with kangaroo teeth, fastened into it with clay, which hung down over his forehead. He had just passed through those ceremonies of his tribe which consist of initiatory rites into the state of manhood; and he held in one hand a branch of eucalyptus: the green bough

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being symbolical of his situation, according to the "rain-makers" or wise old men. This stately fellow came up to us in the most gentlemanly manner possible, stating that he was "berry good black fellow;" and as he had no card, he gave us his name, 'Tom Ugly.' Another young man, who had undergone similar rites, and rejoicing in the English appellation of 'Jack Larkins' also made his appearance. Both these gentlemen fetched in a supply of water, and then sat down to assist us with our meal.

An elderly native, who called himself "Mr. Mason," ran up to us in great haste, greeting the corporal with all the demonstrations of the most cordial friendship. This old man had exchanged names with Mason, as a proof of his brotherly feeling: a distinction amongst his tribe of which he was not a little proud. The name given in return was "Mooloo," by which title Mason was generally known amongst the surrounding tribes. "Mr. Mason" introduced us to his lubra or wife Charlberri, who was wrapped in a round grass mat, which supported her picaninny at her back: the little creature was chewing the favourite bulrush root, a large net of which was suspended from its mother's shoulders. Beside her stood her son, a fine little boy, about four years old, called Rimmelliperingery; also chewing a long piece of bulrush root, and looking up at us intently with the largest, darkest, and most penetrating eyes I ever beheld:

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had not their whites been deeply tinged with yellow, and the long lashes been matted together with a mucous discharge from the eye, they might have been called beautiful. Rimmelliperingery is the pride of his tribe, and wears the upper mandible of the black swan round his neck; which is regarded as a gunwarrie or wizard charm.

As we journeyed on, about sunset, our attention was attracted to a dark-looking object between the forked branches of a casuarina, or she oak-tree; on examination, we found it to be the dried and shrivelled body of an old woman, carelessly pushed up into the tree, there to remain till the bones fell asunder, demanding an interment below the sand by the nearest relative. As the bodies of the old and infirm are considered unworthy of the trouble bestowed on those of young and favourite warriors, they are frequently put into trees in this way; without enrolment in mats and netting, or the careful covering of boughs, which distinguished the latter, whose sacred mummies are carefully deposited on an elevated platform of posts. Near this spot we noticed a circular hollow in the limestone rock, about twelve feet in diameter, and upwards of twenty in depth.

The low flats adjoining the junction of the Murray with the lake, bear evident marks of having once formed a part of the bed of the lake itself. The natives themselves concur in this; and motioning, with a sweep of their hands over the plains,

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towards the blue hills to the eastward, signify that it was formerly all "big one water."

The shores of Lake Alexandrina looked bleak and desolate: a chill south wind was blowing strongly across its dark bosom, ruffling the water into short white breakers. We met several native women and girls, heavily laden with mussels, in net bags made of bulrush fibre, which they had procured from the mud of the adjoining lake. These mussels form one of their chief articles of food, and are cooked by being placed edgewise in the sand, close to the fire, and covered with heated embers. Heaps of the refuse shells lay scattered about, in immense numbers, along the neighbourhood of the water, throughout this thickly populated district.

During the night we had rain; our tarpaulin was converted into a tent, by being stretched across a pole from the back of the dray, and we encamped at the foot of some low sandy hills, covered with casuarina, about half a mile from the lake. Two natives started to fetch water, and a blazing fire of she-oak wood invited us to rest and partake of our evening meal, under the shelter of a spreading juniper tree. The night was fragrant with the perfume of blossoms, arising from a shrub now in full flower, somewhat resembling the white lilac of Europe; and the air was cold after the rain. About fifteen natives had encamped near us, sitting round their fires, chattering and cooking their mussels in the bright embers.

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The natives were gathered in considerable numbers next morning, to witness us at breakfast; sitting before us in rows so close as not to be very agreeable, loudly vociferating and chattering. They were mostly in a state of nudity; one man however wore a round jacket, but nothing else, and a little girl was perfectly natural with the exception of a pair of old boots, that she had obtained at the Murray. The girl persisted that her name was William: probably derived from the donor of the boots; and a facetious fellow, on our inquiring his name, proudly told us it was "split-sixpence."

We frequently met with that large and beautiful straw-coloured amarryllis, the Murray lily; the perfume of its blossoms frequently betraying its locality, at a considerable distance.

From the woody hills about Point Malcolm, we gained a view of Lake Albert, which is connected with Lake Alexandrina by a narrow outlet; forming a considerable peninsula between it and the shores of the Coorong. The country around Lake Albert consists of light soil, covered in many places with fine kangaroo-grass, and scattered over with she-oaks, banksias, and tea-tree. The grass-tree and the elegant corea, a plant somewhat resembling a fuschia, with its scarlet bells, grow amongst the patches of underwood.

Wombats are numerous here, and their burrows intersect the rocky tops of the undulating hills in every direction.

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We discovered several ambushes belonging to the natives, carefully concealed by she-oak branches, interwoven with grass. These are for the purpose of watching larger game, such as the emu and kangaroos, which they spear as they approach the water-holes to drink, at sunset.

We encamped one day at Bonney's water-holes, and in the evening the lake natives performed some singular dances. One, the dance of the frogs, consisted of a number of men painted and armed with wirris, which they beat together, singing all the time; then, squatting on the ground, they leaped along one after another in circles, imitating the actions and movements of a frog. In another dance they go through the performance of hunting the emu; one man imitating the voice of the bird. Their last amusement was that of sitting cross-legged round a fire, in a circle, singing and beating time with spears and wirris; suddenly they all stretched out their right arms as if pointing to some unseen object, displayed their teeth, and rolled their eyes in a dreadful manner, and then jumped on their feet with a shout that echoed for miles through the stillness of the night.

On the shores of Lake Albert plenty of fresh water is to be obtained by digging. We opened several wells, and found sweet and limpid water at four feet from the surface. As at times the lake is brackish, from the influence of the wind and tide,

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mingling its waters with those of the salt Coorong, these wells will be invaluable.

Pelicans, black swans, and ducks of various species abound on these lakes; affording capital sport to a good marksman, with his rifle.

From a bleak hill at the southern extremity of the lake, a grand and extensive view is obtained, looking over the surrounding country; with the barren sand-hills of the Coorong, that loom like mountains in the distance, tinged with a rosy hue at sunset. The sullen roar of the Southern Ocean, as it breaks on the opposite side of those sand-hills, was heard by us distinctly all night; though we could not be less than twelve miles distant from its dreary shores.

The people inhabiting the margin of the lake, build for themselves winter huts, resembling beehives, to protect them in these exposed situations from the cold south and west winds, that prevail during that season. These huts are composed of turf and mud, over a framework of sticks, and have a small entrance on the leeward side. Along the shores of the Coorong they cover these huts with sand and shells, so as to form a hollow mound, impervious to the wind, beneath which they creep in stormy weather.

We encamped for two nights on the margin of the Coorong; which it may be well here to explain, is a back-water inlet from the sea, commencing at

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the mouth of the Murray and the lake, and running parallel to the coast for 90 miles; being divided from the ocean only by a ridge of stupendous sand-hills, varying from half a mile to a mile and a half in breadth. It was on the inner shore of this water that we pitched our tent; and, though frequently surrounded by more natives than were agreeable, we found them tolerably civil, bringing us fish, and monterries, or native apples. This fruit is a little berry, the production of a running plant that grows in profusion upon the sand-hills. These berries are precisely like miniature apples, and have an aromatic flavour, which is not unpleasant. When the monterry is ripe, the natives disperse themselves over the sand-hills in search of them, returning in the evening, with their baskets filled, to the camp. Mason had made good use of his rifle at Lake Albert, and we supped on ducks and fish, in true bush style around our fires: the ducks were roasted upon a stick that served as a spit, and the natives for a small piece of tobacco, brought us a basket of excellent mullet.

The Coorong is truly a wild and desolate place; and the loneliness of the scene is heightened, rather than otherwise, by the occasional rude huts, and the naked forms of the savages. Instead of inspiring the traveller with confidence, and the feeling that he is amongst others of his fellow-species, these dark and treacherous beings, quivering their merciless spears, with their hands lifted against every man,

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seem to complete the inhospitable picture, and fill him with apprehension and constant dread.

The natives belonging to this portion of the Coorong, are known as the Milmendura tribe: the people by whom the passengers and crew of the "Maria" were murdered, when that unfortunate vessel was cast away on this part of the coast a few years since.

The recollection of so sad a tragedy lends a melancholy interest to the dreary region. Those who accompanied the party that went in search of the shipwrecked passengers and crew, tell me that such as escaped from the dangers of the reef near Cape Jaffa, where the vessel struck, after subsisting on roots and shell-fish, toiled along the shore for 90 miles--men, women, and children--in the burning sun, hungry and thirsty and barefoot, till they arrived at the Milmendura tribe. Two more days' march, they trusted, would bring them to the sea mouth of the Murray, where the Encounter Bay natives had communication with the whalers; and they there looked for an end to their sufferings. But these terminated only in death: the savages stripped them of their few remaining garments, and deliberately murdered them as they came up in straggling parties; knocking out their brains with wirries, or chasing them with the spear. Many of the bodies were found buried in the sand; some pushed into wombat burrows, and others were never found at all. The fingers of some of the ladies had

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been cut off with shells to obtain the rings that adorned them; and one of the saddest sights was to see the linen of the children, all stained with blood, lying about in the huts of these cruel wretches. Beneath one of the she-oak trees, in the neighbourhood of our encampment, was found a torn letter, which had been written by a young lady, one of the sufferers, to her friends in England, describing these very savages, who had since murdered her. Several watches were discovered in the native huts, concealed in an incredible number of wrappers; the savages probably imagining them to be alive, or possessing powers of sorcery. Sovereigns also were passed in barter to the Encounter Bay natives, of whom the whalers obtained them for shirts and tobacco. The party in search of these ill-fated voyagers, scoured the country in every direction; burnt the native huts to the ground, and succeeded in capturing two of the murderers; who were hung amongst the sand-hills, as an example to the rest.

The sealers and whalers from Kangaroo Island formerly used to come across and land upon the coast. They would surprise a small encampment of natives, kidnap the women, and, conveying them to their boats, return to the island.

Leaving the Coorong, our party proceeded to make a survey of the peninsula running up between it and Lake Albert. The country is here undulating and grassy, scattered over with she-oak and banksia trees. We observed narrow native paths in

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all directions leading towards the water, and heaps of empty shells constantly denoted their camping places. The blacks on the Peninsula were so wild that they immediately took to the reeds; the women and children swimming to an island in the centre of a lagoon. Several tall fellows came running through the trees, holding up the right arm as a sign of peace; which salute we returned, and galloped towards them to learn the situation of the native wells; but they took to their heels and disappeared. We met with some fine kangaroos on the Peninsula, and wombats appeared to be in great quantity, from the numerous burrows we met with, and the abundance of their bones and skulls lying around the native encampments. The natives have a method of catching the wombats by stopping up all the entrances to their burrows, and lighting a fire of green wood at the aperture: the animal is suffocated, runs in vain to the entrance of his hole, and there dies. The wombat is about the size of the badger, and, like most of the Australian animals, is seldom visible but on moonlight nights.

The natives around Lake Albert and the adjoining portions of the Coorong use the skulls of their friends as drinking vessels. After detaching the lower jaw, they fasten a handle of bulrush fibre to them, and carry them, whenever they travel, filled with water; always putting in a twist of dry grass to prevent the contents from upsetting.

On our return to the Coorong, over which the

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yellow sun was setting, we made our encampment a few miles higher up the beach towards Encounter Bay. Whilst sketching, accompanied by Mason, from an elevation overlooking the water and the long ridge of sand-hills towards the ocean, we were surrounded by about thirty of the wildest-looking natives imaginable. They had been gathering monterries on the opposite shore; and after examining my clothes and taking a fancy to a pannikin we had with us, they filled our pockets and handkerchiefs with the fruit, and pursued their way back to their encampments. A number of natives had been prowling around our tent all day, to the great terror of the two men we had left in charge of the dray; but the axe and guns, which they took care constantly to exhibit, proved a sufficient protection for themselves and property.

The natives catch the ducks here in a very clever manner. They swim along with their heads covered with a mass of sea-weed or grass, and, when near their prey, suddenly dive beneath the birds and catch them by the leg.

At night, whilst sitting round our fire, listening to the distant roar of the ocean, the demon-like shouts and wild chanting of the natives performing their corrobbory amongst the opposite sandhills, and the almost unearthly howl of the wild-dog, broke on our ears at intervals. All night these wild-dogs lingered about the encampment approaching to within a few yards of the fires:

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their yells were responded to by those in the distance; and from the noise they made in every direction they must have been very numerous. These Australian wild-dogs are exceedingly destructive to the sheep in some districts, and I have known them so daring as to eat off the tails of the bullocks, when those animals have been knocked up after a long march.

We proceeded from the Coorong across the extremity of the limestone country covered with scrub, known as the Desert, towards Bonney's water-holes. From these limestone hills, the entire surface of Lake Albert is seen, forming a landscape peculiarly Australian. Numbers of the brush-kangaroo {Halmaturus Greyii) were put up constantly, and though our dogs took after them, these elegant little kangaroos always outstripped them from their extreme swiftness. This new and beautiful species, named after his Excellency Captain Grey, who procured the first specimen, is remarkably local in its distribution; being exclusively confined to the desert-scrub bordering on Lake Albert and the north-west end of the Coorong.

The Mus Australasicus, a singularly-variegated species of rat, burrows in the plains close to Bonney's water-holes; but this animal only moves at night.

Several elevated native burying-places may be seen along the margin of the Lake Alexandrina. The wind makes dirge-like music amongst the reeds

[Inserted illustration page]

ELEVATED NATIVE TOMB, MYPONGA VALE.
South Australia

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where these tombs stand, and blows chill across the dark and dreary lake; conveying a perfect idea of solitude and desolation and death.

The accompanying plate represents an elevated tomb at Myponga; in connection with which I have been favoured with the following beautiful passage from the pen of my friend Mr. Miles of Sydney: --

"Saw you the sedgy waters of the pool, gloomy and deep as death?

"Saw you the old trees scathed with age, whitening to each day's sun and to the storm and wind?

"Saw you the whitened branches stretching into the air, with a blue and happy sky beyond?

"Saw you the little floweret on the bank of the deep and gloomy pool, blooming in its beauty?

"Heard you and saw you the tall reeds around the sedgy waters, waving in the wind--reeds of a mournful tone; when all around was silent, when the roaming savage was faraway, for the living dread the dead?

"Heard you and saw you the flesh-feeding bird, screaming and shrieking, hovering high in air over this lonely spot?

"Heard you and saw you the wild dog yapping impatiently, and watching where the dark birds feasted?

"This is the solitude of the wilderness.

"The deep and sedgy waters tell of Lethe. The old tree tells of withering age; and the thin white branches upward raised, tell of withered arms in suppliant prayer, with a bright and happy light beyond. The humble floweret tells of fleet and fading joy. The tall reeds chafing in the wind, where all is desolate and silent, hymn forth a funeral dirge.

"'Tis the wild bird feeds; 'tis the wild dog eyes the corpse that rots. 'T was here a tribe have placed a chieftain in his once canoe; he rests the sleep of time on the branches of minor shrubs flowering in their beauty, on the land which the white man has left uncursed by misery, slaughter, and corruption, to the savage in the wild."

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Returning to the Murray, we fell in with a small party of the natives from the Tattayarra country--a tribe unknown to Europeans, and dreaded by the natives upon the river, who describe them as cannibals. These people make periodical visits to the Murray, bringing with them various articles of barter, the production of their district in the interior beyond the desert. Their baskets are of exquisite workmanship. From their fine figures and superior physical appearance, I should be led to judge that they occupy a fertile country; only making excursions into the desert at certain seasons of the year in search of kangaroos, roots, or the sweet manna of the scrub. One of the men we saw was an individual of noble bearing: he trod the soil as though he were its possessor. There was no fear--no begging for flour or tobacco--no crouching to the white man: he stood before us in all the dignity of the savage--tall, erect, and strong. Tchadkai, a fine youth, was at his side, with his long black hair streaming in the wind, and his neck surrounded with ornaments of reeds strung upon the sinews of the kangaroo. This child of the desert looked at us with wonder. He put his wild-dog across his shoulder, and pointed with his spear towards the east, signifying that his home was there. The Tattayarras speak of a "great water" to the eastward, and of bark canoes upon a lake: which is probably Lake Hindmarsh. As to their being cannibals occasionally, there appears to be but little

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doubt. According to the people of the Murray-- who themselves kill boys for the sake of their fat, with which to bait their fish-hooks!--these natives devour their children in times of scarcity. One man was pointed out as having destroyed two children for that purpose; and none of them deny having recourse to so dreadful an alternative when pressed with hunger.

In connection with the subject of cannibalism amongst the New Hollanders, I would remark that a Moravian missionary amongst the tribes at Moreton Bay, on the east coast of New South Wales, who was an eye-witness to the occurrence, informed me that it is a custom for parents to partake of the flesh of their children after death, as a token of grief and affection for the deceased!

The wild-dog, or dingo (Canis Australasicus), is tamed by the Tattayarras, who carry these animals through the desert, as a last resource for food, when other means fail. An intoxicating root is also frequently used by them: it grows in the scrub, and when taken has much the same effect as opium. The Tattayarras are peculiarly expert in spearing the emu and the kangaroo. This they accomplish by sneaking behind a screen made of bushes tied together, which they carry in one hand, so as to conceal the figure; they then steal along, in a crouching attitude, silently towards their prey, until within a proper distance, when they suddenly start up, quiver the spear, and, when it flies from the

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throwing-stick, it seldom misses the heart of the intended victim.

On reaching the upper crossing-place of the Murray, on our return, a busy scene presented itself: 3000 sheep, belonging to Messrs. Macfarlane, were being conveyed on rafts across the river, in order to take them to the new pastures near the lake; and as but few sheep could be placed in the pen upon the raft at one journey, the conveyance of so great a number becomes necessarily a tedious process.

Flights of the white cockatoo are continually on the wing, or sporting amongst the branches of the gum-trees along the banks of the river; and occasionally, when feeding on the ground, searching for seeds and insects amongst the soft soil, they completely whiten the surface for a considerable extent, so numerous are these birds in this portion of Australia.

After recrossing the river, we came suddenly upon several native encampments: the men were out hunting and fishing; the younger women and children had gone into the reeds in search of bulrush-root and mussels; and none were left around the embers of the morning-fire save two old women, who presented the most humiliating spectacle of human existence possible: extremely old, haggard, shrivelled, and naked; having limbs clothed only with loose and pendulous skin--blind, and tortured with loathsome vermin and disease--there they sat in the ashes, at death's door, beneath a rude shelter of boughs, looking scarcely human: soon perhaps to be

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thrown out as food for the raven and the wild-dog; for their bones are old, and hence unworthy of the rites of savage sepulture.

Near these decrepit old women, we met with another gloomy picture of the lowest grade of our species, --a woman, and a mother, wandering in search of roots, with her digging-stick in her hand. She was almost naked, and her dark limbs were thin and poor; yet she carried a heavy load at her back. Night and day she bore her burden onwards, without complaint, though it was a loathsome and decaying corpse that she cherished. It was the dead body of her son, a child of ten years old; and she had carried it for three weeks in her bundle, as a tribute of her affection. Oh! how strong is a mother's love, when even the offensive and putrid clay can be thus worshipped for the spirit that was once its tenant. She begged some flour, and then passed on into the wilderness--a dark and solitary mourner, beneath the bright sky.

At night-fall we regained Mason's hut. On the top of the hill near the river, there is a grave: its place was once marked by a mound of sand, though it has since been almost obliterated by time. It is the grave of a bushranger: a lawless, yet a brave man, who had escaped from New South Wales, and, after combating with the dangers and toils of the desert and the scrub for hundreds of miles, was drowned in attempting to swim across the Murray. Mason found his body, and at the setting of the sun

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buried him in the sand. The natives look on the spot with dread; and at night they avoid it, as they say the white man's spirit still lingers there.

An old native, who calls himself "William," has been made an assistant of the police, and resides at Mason's hut. This old man is clothed in a left-off uniform of the force, and has proved a most faithful auxiliary to them. He is of great service in tracking offenders amongst the native tribes, and in keeping peace between them and the white settlers. Not long since, Mason had occasion to proceed, on a special errand, to Adelaide, without being replaced at the station by another policeman. In this emergency, the whole of the stores, and the keys of the hut, were entrusted to the care of "William," who was desired to draw his own rations for one week from the supplies. So faithfully did this poor native discharge his office that, although Mason was detained beyond his expected time of absence, "William" had not continued to supply himself with rations from the stores, but had dined on fish and bulrush-root with his family; guarding the property placed under his care, with scrupulous fidelity, from the importunities and threats of several hundred natives.

It was the Sabbath-day when we were again at Macclesfield, on our return to Adelaide; there was bright sunshine all around, the cottages of the settlers peeped from between the groups of tall-spreading gum-trees under which the cattle were

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sheltering themselves, and the blossom of the mimosa smelt fragrantly. A white tent was pitched on the grassy flat near the brook, whilst the tall trees threw their shadows so as to protect it from the direct and powerful rays of the sun, and a gentle wind stole playfully by, making the white canvass of the tent to flap in its refreshing breeze. There seemed to be a gathering around that tent: small groups of children, and a few solitary individuals, were wending their way towards it, each one bringing his seat or camp-stool in his hand; others came on horseback from across the hills; and when the hour fixed for Divine service had arrived, there was a motley and pleasing group congregated to listen to the preacher in the wilds. Their song echoed sweetly along the valley--for it was a calm and glorious day--and the hymn of the emigrants worshipping their God in a new and adopted land, harmonized with the Sabbath of nature which was around them. Then the voice of the preacher succeeded to the notes of praise. It was a well-known and startling voice: I had heard it amidst the roar of the ocean; I had heard it when the vessel lay becalmed beneath a burning sun; and I never shall forget hearing it, one dark tempestuous night on that vessel's deck, when by the dim light of the lantern, and with a voice battling with the elements, that devout man proclaimed, in solemn tones, the words "Prepare to meet thy God:" for it was the sea-boy's funeral sermon.