lying to the extreme north of Rockingham Bay, its fertile banks had
hitherto attracted little or no attention; the great sugar industry
being then comparatively in its infancy in Queensland. A dangerous bar
at its mouth, over which heavy rollers were always breaking, made
pleasure-seekers rather shy of attempting its entry, more particularly
as the muddy mangrove flats held out small hope of aught save
mosquitoes and blacks. Since then the sugar-cane has become one of the
chief sources of wealth to the colony, and, in the search for land
adapted to its growth, the Macalister was not likely to remain long in
obscurity. Along its beautiful banks were discovered many thousands of
acres of magnificent black soil country, without a stick of timber to
impede the plough, over which a furrow, miles in length, could have
been turned without an inch of deviation being necessary.
Where the wretched bark 'gunyah' of the native stood, is now found the
well-finished house of the planter; and where the savage pastimes of
the 'bora' ground once obtained, and the smoke from cannibal fires
curled slowly upwards to the blue vault of heaven, is heard the
cheerful ring of the blacksmith's hammer, the crack of the
bullock-whip, as the team moves slowly onward beneath the weight of
seven-feet canes, and the measured throb of machinery from the factory,
where the crushed plant is yielding up its sweets between the
inexorable iron crushers. In this, our newest world, improvements when
once set afoot, proceed with marvellous celerity, and a turn of
Fortune's wheel may in a single year convert a howling wilderness into
a flourishing township. But I find myself digressing again, and
resisting rambling thoughts, must revert to our preparations for the
morrow.
[Illustrations KANGAROO. and ORNITHORHYNCHUS PARADOXUS.]
The meeting at which we had just been present, took place on the
morning following our return from the search on Hinchinbrook Island;
and not only was another day indispensable for the arrangements that
were necessary, but we also felt that one more night of comfortable
rest would render us better able to encounter the fatigues of the
coming expedition. Only bushmen and explorers can appreciate the
intense enjoyment of a night of unbroken rest between the sheets, after
knocking about for a length of time, catching sleep by snatches, and
never knowing the luxury of undressing. Turning in like a trooper's
horse, "all standing," as the nautical phrase is, may be an expeditious
method of courting the sleepy god, but it certainly is not the best for
shaking off fatigue. Bound up in the garments you have carried all
day, the muscles are unable to relax to their full, the circulation of
the blood is impeded, and your slumber, though deep, is not refreshing;
more particularly when--as had happened to us on this last trip--our
boots were so soaked that we were afraid to take them off, lest we
should find it impossible to struggle into them in the morning.
Dunmore's camp was also some distance from the township, and he had to
visit it to find out how matters had gone on in his absence, to get
another trooper in the place of poor Cato, and to replenish his
exhausted wardrobe and ammunition.
But I will not occupy the reader with all these minor details, nor with
the numberless little trifles that it devolves upon the leader of such
an expedition to remember, suffice it to say that by noon on the
following day, all our preparations were completed, and we shoved off
from the beach in high spirits, the party consisting this time of nine,
viz., Dunmore, the pilot, two boatmen, Lizzie, three troopers, and
myself, about as many as the boat could carry comfortably. A
rendezvous had been arranged on a known portion of the river; the other
expedition was to start in seven days; and, according to our programme,
if all went well, we should meet on the tenth, or on the eleventh day
at furthest.
The sea-breeze was blowing steadily, cresting the tiny waves which
sparkled in the hot sun as they broke into foam, and under its grateful
coolness we glided comfortably along, with a flowing sheet. The bar at
the mouth of the Macalister was eighteen miles distant, and we hoped to
cross it about sunset, when the breeze would have dropped, and the
passage through the surf would be readily distinguishable; but our
plans were completely upset by one of the troopers espying smoke
issuing from the scrub on a small creek, that entered the bay about
half-way between the town and the Macalister.
"We had better have a look in here," said Dunmore, "there is no knowing
where we may stumble on some information."
Accordingly, the helm was put up, and we ran into the mouth of the
inlet, with the wind right aft. Beaching the boat on the soft sand, we
sprang out, and advanced cautiously in the direction of the smoke, but,
after several minutes of scrambling, we reached the fire only to find
it deserted, its original proprietors having seen our sudden alteration
of course, and sought the safety of the dense bush, where further
search would have been useless.
"Now that we are on shore," said Dunmore, "let us make a billy full of
tea; it won't take long. Here, you boys, get 'em like 'it waddy to
make 'em fire."
The troopers and Lizzie dispersed in quest of fuel; Ferdinand walking
up the bank of the creek, where he was soon lost to sight. A loud
coo-eh from that direction soon brought us to the spot from whence it
issued, and we found the boy staring at several pieces of timber
sticking out of the sand.
"Big fellow canoe been sit down here," he said, on our approach, and
examining the protruding stumps, we soon saw enough to convince us that
the boy was right, and that we were in the presence of a vessel,
wrecked, or abandoned, Heaven only knows how many years ago. With our
hands, with pint pots, with a spade we had brought with us--mindful of
the difficulty we had experienced in finding a resting-place for poor
Cato--with every utensil, in fact, that ingenuity could devise, we set
to work clearing away the sand that had accumulated round the old ribs.
Suddenly, the tin rim of one of the pots gave back a ringing sound, as
if it had struck against metal, and in less than a minute, a much
rusted cannon-shot was exposed to view, and passed round from hand to
hand. It was of small size, weighing, perhaps, five pounds, though its
dimensions were evidently much decreased by the wasting action of damp.
"By Jove!" said Dunmore, "perhaps she was a Spanish galleon, and we
shall come across her treasure. Won't that be a find, eh, old fellow?"
"She's more likely a pirate," I answered, as visions of the old
buccaneers floated through my brain; and Edgar Poe's fanciful story of
the "Gold Beetle" occurring to me, I sung out, "Whatever you do, keep
any parchment you stumble across," and abandoned myself to thoughts of
untold wealth, whilst I wielded a quart pot with the energy born of
mental excitement.
"My word! that been big fellow sit down like 'it here," cried
Ferdinand, who, lying on one side, had his bare arm buried at full
length in the sand. "I feel him, Marmy, plenty cold."
We rushed to the boy's assistance, and speedily scraped away the
shingle, until an old-fashioned gun was exposed to view; it was coated
and scaly with rust to such an extent, that we were unable to form any
idea as to its age or nationality. It would most probably have been a
twelve or eighteen-pounder howitzer, for it was about four feet in
length, and disproportionately large in girth; but one of the
trunnions, and the button at the breech, were broken off, the portion
that had lain undermost had entirely disappeared, and the remainder was
so honeycombed, that beyond ascertaining that it was a piece of
ordnance, we could elicit nothing from this curious relic of a bygone
generation.
Further search brought to light several more round-shot, but in the
same state as the first, and we noticed that in several places the
timbers were burnt, most probably by the natives, or the crew
themselves, for the sake of the copper bolts.
What a number of melancholy recollections are awakened by the discovery
of a forgotten memorial of the past, such as this nameless wreck; and
if those old timbers could have spoken, what a strange record of hopes
unfulfilled, and high adventure unachieved, would have been disinterred
from the dark storehouse of the past! That the vessel came in her
present position by accident, could hardly be supposed. More probably,
having struck on the Barrier Reef, or on some of the hidden coral
shelves with which this sea abounds, she had been taken into this
secluded creek for repairs. Cook, the great circumnavigator, careened
his ship at a spot not far distant from this; but we were unanimously
of opinion that this vessel must have become embedded long prior to his
time. Not only was the framework some distance from the present bed of
the creek, but it was raised considerably above the water level. That
the eastern coast of Australia is slowly rising from the waves is well
known, for in the neighbourhood of Brisbane valuable reclamations have
been made within the memory of living men; but at least two centuries
must have elapsed to account for the altitude attained by this old
craft. Our regret was great at getting no more certain information,
but although we persevered in digging until sundown, no casket of
jewels, no bags of specie, and no mysterious parchments rewarded us;
and with the darkness we were compelled to abandon our search, rather
angry at having wasted several valuable hours to such little purpose.
As it would have been madness attempting to cross the bar before
daylight, we hauled the boat up on the beach, and made ourselves
comfortable for the night. About one o'clock, the trooper who was on
watch, awakened us with the news that there was a light out at sea. We
thought at first it could only be some blacks in their canoes, spearing
fish by torchlight, but it gradually drew nearer and nearer, until at
last we could distinguish the distant sound of voices, and the faint
rattle of the iron cable as it flew out through the hawse-hole.
"Some coasting craft, I suppose," said Dunmore.
"Most probably, but we shall find out in the morning;" and we were soon
again in the land of dreams.
Before daylight we had finished breakfast, and by the time the sun
rose, were in the whale-boat, pulling towards the new arrival. She was
a dirty, weather-beaten, nondescript-looking little craft, half fore
and aft schooner, half dandy-rigged cutter, and the look-out on board
was evidently not very vigilant, for we had almost arrived alongside,
before a black head showed over the gunwale, and, frightened at seeing
a boat-load of armed men in such an unexpected spot, poured out a flood
of shrieking jargon that would have aroused the Seven Sleepers, and
which speedily awoke from their slumbers the remainder of the crew.
There seemed to be only two white men, one of whom introduced himself
as the captain, and asked us, in French, to come on board. The vessel
was the 'Gabrielle d'Estonville', of New Caledonia, commanded by
Captain Jean Labonne, and had put into Rockingham Bay for water, during
a 'beche-de-mer' expedition. Anything to equal the filth of the fair
'Gabrielle', I never saw. Her crew consisted of another Frenchman
besides the captain, and of seven or eight Kanakas, two of whom had
their wives on board. As perhaps this extraordinary trade is but
little known to the reader who has not resided in China, I will briefly
narrate how it is carried out.
From the neighbourhood of Torres Straits to about the Tropic of
Capricorn, extends, at a distance of fifty to a hundred miles from the
shore, an enormous bed of coral, named the Barrier Reef. There, untold
millions of minute insects are still noiselessly pursuing their toil,
and raising fresh structures from the depths of the ocean. Neither is
this jagged belt--though deadly to the rash mariner--without its uses.
In the first place, a clear channel is always found between it and the
mainland, in which no sea of any formidable dimensions can ever rise,
and now that modern surveys have accurately indicated where danger is
to be found, this quiet channel is of the greatest use to the vessels
frequenting that portion of the ocean, for they avoid the whole swell
of the broad Pacific, which now thunders against and breaks harmlessly
on the huge coral wall, instead of wasting its fury on the coast
itself. In the second place on the Barrier Reef is found the
'Holothuria', from which the 'beche-de-mer' is prepared. It is a kind
of sea-slug, averaging from one to over two feet in length, and four to
ten inches in girth. In appearance, these sea-cucumbers are more
repulsive, looking like flabby black or green sausages, and squirting
out a stream of salt water when pressed. But despite their disgusting
appearance, they are a most valuable cargo, from the high price they
fetch in the Chinese market, where they are a much-esteemed delicacy.
The vessel that goes in quest of 'beche-de-mer' takes several expert
divers--usually Kanakas, or South Sea Islanders--and having arrived at
the ground they propose fishing, a sort of head-quarters is established
on some convenient island, where vegetables are planted, to stave off
the scurvy that would otherwise soon attack the adventurers. This done
the little vessel proceeds to the edge of the reef, and begins work in
earnest.
The sea-slug is found buried amidst the triturated sand, worn away by
the constant play of the waves, and only the experienced and keen-eyed
Kanakas can detect its whereabouts, by the fitful waving of the long
feathery tentacles surrounding the mouth of the fish, which immerses
its body in the sand. The vessel being anchored, her boat is got out,
and pulled to the smooth water within the reef, the divers keeping a
keen scrutiny on the milk-white floor for any indication of their prey.
Suddenly, the man in the bows holds up his hand, as a sign to desist
from pulling. He drops quietly into the clear water, and the length of
time that elapses before his black head reappears, is enough to make a
bystander nervous. Often the diver has to encounter his dread enemy
the shark, and if cool and collected, generally comes off victorious in
the contest. The South Sea Islanders have a thorough knowledge of the
habits of this salt-water pirate, and know that by keeping underneath
him, they cannot be touched, and they will fearlessly stab the intruder
with their knives, and avail themselves of his momentary departure to
regain the boat. I have known one instance of a native jumping into
the water to distract the attention of a shark that was swimming guard
over his friend, and both escaped unhurt; but still, despite their
utmost skill, accidents do often occur. In shallow water the
'beche-de-mer' is caught with a five-pronged instrument, resembling an
eel-spear. The animals are split open, boiled, pressed flat, and dried
in the sun, and after a sufficient number have been taken, they are
carried to the island rendezvous and there smoked with dry wood, which
last process converts the slug into genuine 'beche-de-mer', fit for the
market, and for the palates of Celestial epicures. I tried to cook
some, but after boiling it for a couple of hours in a quart pot, it
came out like a dirty piece of indian-rubber, and so tough that no
teeth could penetrate it.
Captain Labonne welcomed us very cordially--the sight of a strange face
must have been a godsend--and most hospitably asked us to share his
breakfast, but as it consisted only of dried fish, which smelt most
abominably, we declined, and he was very grateful for a couple of pots
of sardines which we gave him out of our slender stock. The
'Gabrielle' was on her way to Cardwell for fresh provisions and water,
and after the dangers to be avoided had been pointed out by the pilot,
we bade adieu to Jean Labonne and his queer crew, though not before one
of our party had succeeded in jotting down the features of a Kanaka
diver, his wife and child.
AN AUSTRALIAN SEARCH PARTY--VI.
BY CHARLES H. EDEN.
WE now pulled for the mouth of the Macalister River, and on sighting
the bar shortly before eight o'clock, were glad to find but little surf
running. On our way we passed several water-snakes, one of which
seemed of large size, but we were too distant to form any accurate
estimate of its length. It was not altogether without misgivings that
we encountered the ridge of sand that extended completely across the
entrance of the river. Only one of our party had ever crossed it
before, and it was known to be very dangerous. The calm water rolled
itself up in smooth walls, which sailed majestically along until the
upper portion broke into a line of white, and soon the entire mass
rushed onward in a sheet of foam.
The great danger in crossing a bar is, that the helmsman either loses
his head and permits the boat to present her broadside to the surf, or
that the steering power is not sufficient to keep her head straight.
Neither of these misfortunes befell us in entering the Macalister, for,
from the hour we had selected, the sea was at its quietest, and we got
over without shipping a thimbleful of water. We found a broad expanse
studded with dense mangrove flats, and it was with difficulty we
ascertained which was the main channel. We pulled on until about noon,
by which time the mud swamps had disappeared, and we were fairly in the
river, which much resembled the Herbert, of which I have already given
a description, except that it was smaller, and that the vegetation was
more luxurious. On landing, we lit a fire, and cooked our dinner,
consisting of ducks and moor-fowl that we had shot on our way up. I
never remember seeing water-fowl in such profusion as here. The ducks
and geese were literally in tens of thousands, and the
beautifully-plumaged moor-fowl quite blackened the mangrove bushes as
we passed.
The scenery was perfectly lovely. Tall palms shot up in every
direction; wild bananas spread forth their broad leaves, amidst which
were seen the bunches of fruit; and the larger trees--fig, Leichhardt
plum, etc.--threw their branches across the river, and there
interlacing, formed a leafy canopy such as we imagined was unknown in
Australia. Some of the young palms we cut down for the sake of the
head, which is very pleasant eating. Stripping off the leaves, you
come to a shoot twenty inches or two feet in length, the interior of
which consists of a white substance resembling an office ruler in
thickness, and which tastes something like a chestnut, but is much more
milky and sweet. The fruit of the wild banana has a most delicious
flavour, but is so full of small seeds that it is impossible to swallow
it. The huge fig trees, with which the banks of most of the northern
rivers abound, have the peculiarity that the fruit is found growing on
the trunk, and not at the extremity of the smaller boughs. On an
enormous stem, and at a distance of only a few feet from its base, are
seen bunches of figs, and these, though of smaller size than the
European fruit, are very palatable, if they can be selected free from
insects. Usually, the ants have been first afield, and have taken up
their abode in the very heart of the fig, forming a most undesirable
mouthful for the unwary stranger. The wild plums are very good, but to
attain perfection, should be buried for some days previous to eating.
I trust these details will not prove tedious to my readers, but I know
from experience the benefit arising from even a slight knowledge of
wild fruits and herbs, which have often quenched thirst and assuaged
hunger when other food was wanting, and rendered endurable what would
otherwise have been a painful journey.
We camped that night where darkness overtook us, close to a thick scrub
which lined the bank of the river, and we paid for our stupidity in not
selecting a more open spot, for myriads of mosquitoes put sleep out of
the question. The truth was that this belt of scrub had lined the
river for several miles past, and we hoped at every turn to come to a
break, but night set in whilst we were still between the leafy walls.
Daylight came at last, and we pushed onward. An hour took us into a
beautiful black-soil plain of great extent, without a stick of timber,
and well watered, not only by the Macalister, which meandered through
its centre, but by several large lagoons, overgrown with the lovely
white lotus, and crowded with waterfowl. The existence of such a
planter's paradise was totally unsuspected, and we all gazed
spell-bound on this splendid tract of country, possessing every
requisite for successful cultivation, and a water road for the produce.
Dunmore was a true prophet when he exclaimed--
"Before a year is past this will be settled upon."
A fine sugar plantation now stands on "Bellenden Plains," with superb
cane growing in unwonted luxuriance, and horses and cattle have taken
the place of the kangaroos, that we on this first visit found grazing
there in troops. In the distance could be seen the coast range behind
Cardwell, which seemed to recede inland as it trended towards our
position, and sweeping round, approached the sea again farther north,
forming a natural boundary to a vast space of available country. A
silver line shone out on the mountains, and with our glasses we could
make out that it must be a waterfall of very large dimensions. We at
once agreed that it must be the source of the very river we were on,
the Macalister, but, as the sequel will show, we found so many streams,
that most probably we were mistaken in our judgment. We resolved to
make this charming spot our head-quarters for the present, as we had
everything to be desired--water, game, etc.--close at hand, and, from
the absence of timber, no blacks would be able to steal upon us
unperceived.
Leaving the pilot and one man in charge of the boat, we trudged along
through the high grass, which reached to our middles, and was dripping
with moisture from a shower that had fallen during the night; and,
after a tedious walk, reached the edge of the scrub. It was thicker
than anything we had encountered before, the density of the foliage
totally excluding the sun, and giving rise to a dank humid odour that
struck a chill to the heart directly you entered. We wound along the
path, or rather track, that the blacks had made, with the greatest
difficulty. It was all very well for the troopers, who had stripped,
but our clothes hitched up on a thorn at every other step. One of our
most provoking enemies was the lawyer vine, a kind of rattan enclosed
in a rough husk, covered with thousands of crooked prickles. These,
with their outer covering, are about an inch and a quarter in diameter,
and extend to an enormous distance, running up to the tops of lofty
trees, and from thence either descending or pushing onward, or
festooning themselves from stem to stem in graceful curves of
indescribable beauty. From the joints of the parent shoot are thrown
out little slender tendrils, no thicker than a wire, but of great
length, and as dangerously armed as their larger relation. These
miserable little wretches seem always on the watch to claw hold of
something, and if you are unhappy enough to be caught, and attempt to
disengage yourself by struggling, fresh tendrils appear always to lurk
in ambush, ready to assist their companion, who already holds you in
his grasp. I have measured the length of one of these canes, and found
it over 250 paces; and this is not the maximum to which they attain,
for I have been assured by men employed in cutting a telegraph road
through the scrub that they had found some over 300 yards long. They
seem to retain the same circumference throughout their whole length,
and, as the bushman puts everything to some use, the lawyer is divested
of his husk, and takes the place of wire in fencing, being rove through
the holes bored in the posts as though they were ropes. It is almost
needless to add that this cane derives its 'soubriquet' of "lawyer"
from the difficulty experienced in getting free if once caught in its
toils.