The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-25

changed my mind, I then determined 10
coast along to the northward, hoping to
reach Somerset. and having not the slight
est IDEA that the great Gulf of Carpen.
tara and Cape York peninsula separated
me from the Pacific ocean. The smallness
OF the craft, which was quite unfit to go
Tar beyond shelter and the necessity for
Keeping a close lookout for a settlement,
compelled us to follow every winding of
the coast.
AT length. after several months of coast
ing, we found the land trending to the
west; and here, at Rafle's bay. probably,
we found a Malay proa. The Malays
themselves, who were Bechdoman fishers
were willing TO take us to Kolpang, but as
my native wife had a great dislike ana
dlstrust of the Malays and could not be
prevailed upon to go, l felt l could not
desert her so far from her own people.
and l also considered she had already
saved my life a great many times; thus
the opportunity passed.
Here at Rallies Bay we met a native
VINO spoke English and who had served
on British man-of-war. He told us of
The settlement of Port Darwin, lying TO
the southwest, and he warned me to avoid
van Dieman's Gulf, partly on account of
the aAlgators, and partly, also, on account
OF the lnnumerabe creeks l should have
10 ascend In search of the settlement, for
1t must always be borne in mind that none
OF my intormants gave me exact and pre-
else information, some of them Simply in
dlcating The direction. We landed on the
northern coast of Melville Island and
AFTER we mad again reached the coast of
the mainland through Apsley strait, we
experienced a terrible storm, which must
nave driven us past Port Darwin For
whole nights my native wife and 1 would
pc immersed In the sea, Ginning on to the
SunWaie of our fra.l craft. At last about
eighteen months after we had left nv
wires home In the Cambridge gulf region.
we one day recognized certain Islands and
also the coast, and soon afterwards we
round ourselves to my great surprise, at
me very spot from which we had started
VI course had to pretend that nv return
was anything but Involuntary The next
attempt 1 made was to the southwest
starting after some months of rest, and
coasting IN the dug out as far as King
sound, l landed upon and explored many
OF the Islands dotted along the extensive
etretch of coast, and in some of them I
louhd caves with rude drawings on the
rocks. ON what was probably Bigge's
island l found a cairn of stones which
L ready saw must have been the handi-
work OF white man. We returned TO
the Ola camp overland, crossing the King
Leopold ranges, which were finely wooded.
ana appeared TO be largely composed of
srahlte' Beyoud these ranges the coun-
plateau ~
tefsected by many very fine creeks and
rivers and covered with long grass from
t"elVe 10 nfteen feet in height, so high
as TO make travelling difficult; we even
had to tre 1t to clear a track There
We're also on this plateau a number of Gu
nous looking abrupt pinnacles of bare rock
rising above the general level surface We
next struck an undulating country. cover
ed with sharp broken pebbles of white
qudrtz' with Lodges of slate creeping out.
IN TINS quartz / saw gold for the FIRST
iime had ever looked upon il in Its ma
tive state " S ''N
we next struck what was probably tha
Orue river, which we followed down 10
cambridge gulf. and returned along tha
coast to our own home. on returnino
rom TINS Journey, | felt little inclination
10 make another attempt. aud for three
years lived amongst the natives. becono-
ing accustomed to the life, and finding II
not dlsagreeable 1 was interested In
studying their customs, and the custonns
ana languages of their neighbours For
this l had motive in those early DAYS
1t was always my object to make the ac-
quaintance of tribes who could render me-
assistance in escaping overland. The de-
sire TO reach civilization returned. and
ABOUT the year 1873 l started with nv
wife, resolving this time to cross the con-
tlnent TO the south, as l knew in a va gua
KIND of way that there were great towns
on the coast somewhere to the south
mad only the very haziest idea. however
OF their position. On our way south we
f1rst crossed a range of granite mountains
running east and west After crossing this
range we came to low and slightly I'M
dulating country covered with dark choco-
late colored loan of great depth. I found
here a most extraordinary richness Of
vegetation and animal life, especially a
kind of water rat. In the soil along the
banks of the creeks In this fertile region
l found creeks with very deep channels
cut In the soft rich loan. We were. |
should think, about a week crossing this
rich country, coming more or less south
The tribes We're more numerous and al
together 1t was very thickly populated l
never Travelled due SOUTH but found it
expeditions to go from tribe to tribe and
from water-hole TO water-hole As far
as possible, kept on my own course, bid
ding the tribes adieu when our ways lay
in Numerically opposed directions Be
sides having my native wife with me-
L was armed with a certain mystic mes
sage stick, and best of all, had the power
of amusing the tribes by means of aero
bate performances, my steel weapons
and the bark of my dog, who could also
go through little performance on his own
account, dancing TO the tune of my reed
whistle. l emphasize these things because
they saved my life over and over again;
somehow always managed to ingrati-
ate myself with even the most hostile
tribes.
When we had been three or four weeks
out we trayersed a rough country of low
limestone ranges, Astounding in caves, in
contrast with the granite ranges further
north, in which ] had found no caves. In
these caves I found bones, also the skull
of a kangaroo, which was so large that
at first l took it to be that of a horse;
its skull was probably two or three times
larger than the skull of the largest kan
CARGO 1 ever saw. 1t belonged probably to
an extinct species.
In traversing the desert belts, which we
crossed on this journey, and indeed at all
times, we were in the company of the var
ious tribes we met, consequently our
course was often east and west instead
of directly southwark, according to the
water holes, the nature of the country,
and other circumstances. Thus we wan,
dered from place to place, sometimes ac-
companyng parties of the natives on their
hunting and fighting expeditions; but al
ways making for the south whenever pos