CHAPTER XI.

Second Journey into the interior commenced—Land of roses—The grape vine—Foreign grain—Missionary rewards—Bargo brush—Small species of Lobster—Another species—Snakes—Leeches—Mr. Button’s farm—Proceed on the journey to Gudarigby—Native plants—Magnificent mountain view—Our repast—The laughing jackass—A spacious cavern—Its interior—Black swans and other birds.

On the 8th of November I left Sydney for Yas Plains on a second visit to that interesting part of the colony; again passed over the “Razor-back Mountain,” upon which road gangs were busily employed in finishing that line of road,—and arrived in the afternoon at “Abbotsford,” a very pretty farm belonging to Mr. Harper, near “Stonequarry Creek:” it was in excellent order; a large quantity of land was cultivated with grain, having every prospect of a productive harvest, the whole being in full ear, and verging towards maturity. The neat garden in front of the dwelling-house bloomed with a profusion of roses; and at this season of the year so abundant is this elegant and fragrant flower in the colony, that we may term it a “Land of Roses,” as well as a “land of promise;” pinks, stocks, and other European flowers, gave an additional beauty to the scene.

Some portions of land were laid out as vineyards; much attention being now paid to the cultivation of the vine in the colony. In the garden a number of gooseberry bushes had been planted, which were in flourishing condition, and loaded with fruit: it was considered rare to see them so productive near Sydney, although they thrive and bear abundance of fruit in the Argyle and Bathurst districts; but here it was only one part of the garden that was favourable to their growth, being that where the influence of the sun was not too powerful during the hot summers: care has also been taken to shelter the bushes, by small sheets of bark placed upon sticks at some elevation over them, giving a protection above, but at the same time not covering them so much as to cause any deprivation of the vivifying influence of light or moderate solar heat.

Mr. Harper has been trying a great variety of foreign grain on different colonial soils; among others the Leghorn wheat, the ears of which are six inches in length, and from the straw the Leghorn bonnets so well known to the fair sex are manufactured.

Proceeding on my journey; between this farm and Lupton’s Inn, I was accosted by a native black, who asked me, whether “I white feller parson,[76] for me want shilling;” but not being of the clerical profession, I did not consider myself liable to be placed under contribution, more particularly upon the highway. It occurred to me at the time, that he must have heard of the five hundred pounds, granted annually from the colonial funds for their conversion, and concluded that all clergymen should bestow their shillings on himself and comrades. We parted with this conditional bargain, that if he brought me birds and other animals, he should have shillings in return.

Passing through “Bargo Brush,” the forest was still gay with flowers, with the additional beauty of the splendid proteacous shrub, called the “Warratah” or “tulip tree” of the colonists, which now displayed its brilliant crimson flowers. I remained for the night at “Mittagong,” and on the afternoon of the 10th arrived at “Arthursleigh,” the extensive and beautiful farm, the property of Hannibal M’Arthur, Esq.; I passed here two very agreeable days in the society of this gentleman and his friends. On the 12th I arrived at “Goulbourn Plains,” and on the evening of the 14th at “Yas Plains.”

The plains still retained their verdant appearance, although down the country vegetation was much parched. The river had fallen considerably since my previous visit. In the river, besides the quantity of fish there is a small and new species of lobster, which is also procured in large quantities from the muddy ponds on the Yas Plains; they are delicious eating, and taken readily by placing a piece of raw meat on a bent pin: when one is felt at the bait, it is to be dragged gently to the margin of the pond, (which is very muddy, but not deep,) and taken on the back by the hand: a number can thus be caught in a short time. The aborigines call them “Murugonan.” They burrow deep into the mud, and the blacks capture them by thrusting the hand into the holes, and dragging them out, although they often extend to such a depth that the whole length of the arm is inserted before the animal is secured.[77] The ponds in which the lobsters are taken are always full of water, being supplied by springs: one of them was about fifty yards in length by twenty in breadth, but of no great depth at any part. They form a chain along the plains during the dry season of the year; but during heavy rains they unite into a running stream, which empties itself into the Yas river. It is only at the season, when there is merely a chain of ponds or swamps, with but little water, that the lobsters can be caught with facility.

In the Murrumbidgee, Yas, Tumat, and other large rivers, there is a different and larger species of lobster which is frequently found in the stomachs of the “river cod.” This kind is called “Mungola” by the aborigines, and they are captured, measuring a foot and a foot and a half in length, and weighing three or four pounds. I examined a small one, captured in the Murrumbidgee at Jugiong; its dimensions were as follow:—

Inch.
Length of the body4
Length of the tail4
Length of the claw5½
Breadth of the body at the broadest part2
Breadth of the claw1⅜
Length of the anterior or external antennæ7

The colour of the upper surface of the shield was dark green, with reddish tinges on the sides, the rings of the tail studded with short, thick spines, and similar but smaller spines on the sides of the shield: the spines and claws were white: the legs having been pulled off by the blacks, to prevent their escape during the time they were employed in catching others. I could not ascertain their colour. They are found under the large stones in the river, and are taken by the hand when the rivers are low. The natives usually seek for them in the evening, or at night by torchlight, and say it is difficult to get them during the daylight.[78]

Snakes are numerous in various parts of the colony. Those known among the colonists as the “black and brown snakes,” are found about the banks of the rivers, or in swampy situations: the natives (they are not, however, the best authority for the extent of danger a venomous snake produces) say that its bite is not deadly, but causes the person to feel sick and sleepy for a short time, which passes off without producing any further ill effects, even if no remedy be applied.

It would be interesting to institute experiments, so that the extent of danger attending the bites of the venomous reptiles in the colony might be ascertained with some degree of correctness. As far as regards this snake, I am well informed by persons who have been bitten, that the effects are as above stated; but still it would be interesting to know the degree of violence the poison is capable of producing in each of the venomous reptiles. I examined a “black snake,” which had been just killed at the farm of Gudarigby, upon a “flat” near the river: it was of a shining, silvery, black colour above; the abdomen being dark red: it measured three feet and a half in length, and at its largest circumference, three inches: it was a male specimen. The stomach was filled with a quantity of green frogs with golden spots; (the Rainette dorée of Péron?) some having the appearance of being just swallowed, whilst others were half digested: there was also a mass of digested matter, in which the remains of frogs could be distinctly seen. This snake appears to be a species of the genus “Acanthophis.” By the natives of Yas, the black snake is called “Bulbuk.”

The “brown snake,” which I examined, is also venomous, and, according to popular opinion, the effect very dangerous upon the human constitution. The specimen measured nearly five feet in length, and five inches at its largest circumference; the upper part of the body was of a brown colour, (from which no doubt its name is derived,) with a few light shades of black; the abdomen was of a light, bluish black. In the stomach were found several half-digested lizards, and a quantity of worms, which in some parts had even perforated the coats: on a further examination, the lungs were also found perforated by, and had attached to them, a number of these worms, varying from one and a half to two inches in length, and of a bright red colour: I preserved them, together with the lungs, in spirits, and sent them to the museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, in London.[79]

There is another dangerous snake, called “yellow snake” by the colonists, and “Jaruk” by the Yas natives: it attains a large size, and has the reputation of being very venomous, the bite producing almost immediate death.[80] The most deadly snake in appearance, and I believe also in effect, is one of hideous aspect, called by the colonists the “death adder,” and by the Yas natives “Tammin,” from having a small curved process at the extremity of the tail, or, more correctly, the tail terminating suddenly in a small curved extremity, bearing some resemblance to a sting, it is considered by popular rumour to inflict a deadly sting with it.

This hideous reptile is thick in proportion to its length; the eye is vivid yellow, with a black longitudinal pupil; the colour of the body is difficult to be described, being a complication of dull colours, with narrow, blackish bands, shaded off into the colours which compose the back; abdomen slightly tinged with red; head broad, thick, and flattened. The specimen I examined measured two feet two inches in length, and five inches in circumference. It is, I believe, an undescribed species.[81] A dog that was bitten by one, died in less than an hour. The specimen I examined was found coiled up near the banks of the Murrumbidgee river; and being of a torpid disposition, did not move when approached, but quietly reposed in the pathway, with its head turned beneath the belly.

The “diamond snake” is handsome, attains a large size, and I believe is not considered venomous. It is said, that when cattle are bitten by a venomous snake, they resort immediately to the water. A cow was found lying dead near the river, at “Gudarigby,” during the time I visited the farm, and from appearances the body presented, the stock-keepers formed an opinion that its death was produced by the bite of a venomous snake.

Leeches are abundant in all the “water holes” about this part of the colony, and are used for medicinal purposes: they are of a black colour, with longitudinal orange lines extending the whole length of the body, the abdomen being of a dark orange colour. They are in great demand at Sydney, as few or none are found in its vicinity.

On the 19th of November I visited the farm at “Gudarigby,” the property of W. H. Dutton, Esq., in company with his brother, Mr. F. Dutton, and Mr. Manton. We remained the first night in the bark hut erected on Mr. Manton’s farm. Snakes of the black and brown species were numerous at this place, no doubt arising from the location being close to the Murrumbidgee river. We had sufficient proof of the existence of these reptiles, from seeing several which had recently been destroyed by the men on the farm; one had dropped from the back shed upon a man’s bed during the night, and occasioned him to quit, and leave the reptile in undisturbed possession for the remainder of the night: in the morning, search was made, the reptile discovered among the blankets, and killed: it was a “black snake,” and measured full three feet in length. The warm valley in which the farm is situated, as well as its being near the river, must make it an agreeable retreat to the reptiles. We, however, slept through the night without experiencing any visits from them, although we often expected to feel their cold bodies gliding over and awakening us, from pleasant dreams to disagreeable realities.

The following morning we proceeded on the journey to “Gudarigby,” over a hilly and broken, but still romantic and beautiful country; with a variety of flowering plants spread over the luxuriant, verdant declivities and flats, casting different hues over the soil; among them the delicate and beautiful orchideous plant called “fringed violet” by the colonists, the Thysanotus junceus of botanists, was particularly abundant: its elegant lilac-coloured flowers, in clusters of from three to six upon the same stalk were very conspicuous. The “native hyacinth,” and others of the Orchideæ family, with white, dark red, yellow, and pink flowers, were abundant.

After proceeding full six miles over a rich but broken country, fertile flats, and limestone hills, the declivities rich in herbage, but the summits arid, rocky, and bare of verdure,—we arrived at “Narrángullen,” a fine flat, abounding in excellent pasturage, with thickly wooded hills. This was formerly a sheep station, but deserted from the great losses sustained by the sheep devouring their lambs.[82]

From this place we passed up a gully, bounded by lofty mountains, thinly-wooded, which brought us to the almost perpendicular ascent of an elevated mountain, which certainly gave me a few ideas of what Nature’s roads may have been in this colony before the formation of new ones came into fashion. This I was told, was one road to the farm, and the shortest, but there was another for drays not so steep, but many miles further round; by that one we proposed returning as soon as the visit to the farm was concluded. We led our horses, or rather they scrambled up this steep acclivity, to the summit of a ridge of mountains, from which the view was magnificent; it seemed as if Nature had sported with her superfluities in the formation of this country; mountains over mountains heaped: some were thinly and others densely covered with timber; the tout ensemble formed a splendid specimen of wild and romantic scenery. About the elevated ridges, the black-wattle acacias, in full bloom, were numerous, and their fresh and verdant foliage was well contrasted by the arid melancholy appearance of the Eucalypti trees around. A descent more gradual than the ascent, with the soil covered by long thick grass, brought us to a well-watered flat through which the Murrumbidgee river, and large creek, flowed; and in this place (completely surrounded by the river and creek, and consequently rendered impassable during floods produced by the rains) the farm was situated.

This place, secluded by lofty-wooded mountains, and in a situation of great romantic beauty, cannot be valuable except as a cattle run, for which, from the abundance of grass and excellent supply of water, a better selection could not be made, but for sheep the situation is too moist. After rather a laborious and fatiguing journey, we enjoyed, in a neat and clean hut, some fine river cod fish, tea, and delicious rich milk, and our horses had, in this fine valley, excellent grass. Among the feathered animals which abound here, is the Dacelo gigantea, Temm., better known to the colonists and strangers by the appellation of “Laughing or Feathered Jackass.”[83] Its peculiar gurgling laugh, commencing from a low, and gradually rising to a high and loud tone, is often heard by the traveller in all parts of the colony, sending forth its deafening noises whilst remaining perched upon the lofty branch of a tree watching for prey; it is respected by gardeners for destroying grubs, &c. The natives at Yas call the bird “Gogera,” or “Gogobera,” probably from its peculiar note, which has some resemblance to the sound of the word. It is said that one seldom laughs without being accompanied by a second, forming a very harmonious duet.

This bird, from its devouring mice and venomous reptiles, deserves protection; (hawks also destroy snakes in this colony.) A gentleman told me that he was perfectly aware of the bird destroying snakes, as he had often seen them carry the reptiles to a tree, and break their heads to pieces with their sharp strong beaks; he also said he had known them destroy chickens soon after they were hatched, and carry away eggs, breaking the shell with their sharp beaks, to get at their contents. One of these birds, seen upon the branch of a tree near a river, looking so stupid, and nodding as if asleep, was shot, and it was then found that this peculiar manner proceeded from having swallowed a small snake, which had got into the stomach, throat, and bill, but had not yet accommoded itself in the former cavity.

It is not uncommon to see these birds fly up with a long snake pending from their beak, the bird holding the reptile by the neck, just behind the head; but as the snake hangs down without motion, and appears dead, it is probable that the bird destroys them upon the ground before it conveys them into the tree. From these circumstances, although they may now and then “make away” with an egg, or recently hatched chicken, by mistake for other food, yet there ought to be a prohibition against their being injured, as the vermin destroyed by them amply repay such trifling losses. This is the first bird heard in the morning, and the last (among the day-birds) at night; it rises with the dawn, when the woods re-echo with its gurgling laugh; at sunset they are again heard, and as that glorious orb sinks in the westward, a last “good night” is given in its peculiar tones to all within hearing.

At this farm, close to the Murrumbidgee river, and on the almost perpendicular side of a limestone hill, which rises in the midst of this wooded valley, the rocks partially scattered with herbage, shrubs, and stunted casuarina-trees, is the entrance to a spacious cavern; there are others of smaller size sprinkled about different parts of the same mass of limestone, but this seems to be the most spacious; they were originally pointed out by the natives to the overseer of the farm, but were first explored by Mr. Dutton, and some friends.

The day after our arrival we visited the cave, taking materials to produce a light, by which we might explore these recesses with more facility. The approach to this cavern is through a thick jungle of grass, reeds, veronica, fern brake, (Pteris,) &c.: much caution is required, more particularly when on horseback, on account of the number of wombat burrows which abound about the spot. A slight ascent brought us to the spacious and lofty entrance into which the horses were easily led, and conveniently stabled; this may be truly said to form the waiting-hall for admission into the two ranges of chambers which branch off in different directions, as seen in the accompanying diagram of a supposed section.

GUDARIGBY CAVERNS.

The entrance is probably about eighteen or twenty feet broad, and thirty or forty feet high, abounding in large stalactites, incrusting and pending from all parts of the interior, as well as separate masses like columns, supporting the roof. Having made a fire and lighted our torches, we entered the cavern to the right, [A in the diagram,] and ascending over some loose earth, entered a narrow vestibule, capable of admitting only one person at a time; it was encrusted above, and on all sides, by stalactites of various forms which presented a glittering appearance, as the light from the torches fell upon them. A number of a small species of bat, disturbed by our presence in their dark retreat, flew about, and we captured many of them: several of their skeletons pending from the rocks, indicated that it afforded them a mausoleum, as well as a retreat during life.

As we proceeded, the cavern became more lofty and expansive; but although able, from the elevation, to walk erect, we were obliged to take care of occasional projections from the rocks on each side. As the light from the torches fell upon the white glittering fantastic forms of the stalactites which hung from the roofs and covered the sides, the effect was highly pleasing. We came at last to a descent of fine loose earth, in which some wombats had been burrowing, and much care was necessary to avoid falling into the gaping entrances. The descent having been effected, we found ourselves in the most lofty, beautiful, and spacious part of this extensive cavern; we termed it the “grand hall:” immense masses of stalactites, (to which fancied resemblance of forms had occasioned the names of the altar, organ-pipes, &c., to be given,) had a beautiful appearance: enormous pending stalactites adorned the lofty roof, and the whole scene had by torchlight an inconceivably grand and splendid effect. At several places the ground upon which we walked gave a hollow sound when struck, and masses of decomposed limestone were abundantly mingled with a fine black earth. Proceeding some distance further, we arrived at the termination.[84]

After our return from exploring the great cavern, we entered the smaller one; [B in the diagram;] its extent is limited, but the stalactites within were of great beauty and variety of forms; my attention was here attracted by the multitude of small bones mingled with dust, which lay near and about the entrance of this cavern; how they came in this situation merits enquiry, for here alone did I observe them; they appeared belonging to some animals of the Rodentia family, consisting of skulls and other portions of the skeleton, some, indeed nearly the whole, were in a perfect condition: near the spot I picked up a small mass of stalactite, which appeared to have been broken off from some portion of the cavern, but its exact position I could not discover, in which small bones, similar to those scattered about, were imbedded. The specimen I preserved and sent to England.[85]

The atmosphere of the inner chamber of the large cavern is at times so close and confined as to produce sickness and violent head-ache, and cause many to faint who visit it, but we experienced no inconvenience, for although a hot wind blew outside from the north-east in strong and oppressive gusts, the inside of the cavern was cool and agreeable. The length of the cavern may, at a guess, be one hundred and twenty yards, or even more; and the large entrance is about sixty yards distant from the Murrumbidgee river. The view, from the front of the cavern, of the exterior country was beautiful: swallows’ nests, as well as the restless birds themselves, were numerous; and the “Currijong-tree” was also seen growing about the limestone ranges. The swamp oaks, or “Plow’y,” of the aborigines grew here in abundance, indicating by their presence the course of the river.

The aborigines will not venture into the dark recesses of the cavern for fear of the “dibbil-dibbil,” as they express it. In a small cave attached to this cavern a number of human bones had recently been found, which it was afterwards ascertained were those of a native female, and had been deposited here, (in accordance with a custom among the aborigines of placing the bodies of deceased friends and relations in caverns, hollow trunks of trees, &c.) about twenty years before.

The black swans (Anas plutonia) were at certain spots numerous about the river; they lay several eggs of a light bluish tinge, but at this season the young birds were seen in the river, as also the young of the different species of wild ducks, teal, &c., which are numerous in the colony; although neither the young of the black swans or ducks can yet fly, still nature has provided them with a rapidity of motion in the water which baffles pursuers: this excites surprise in those who witness the manner these little half-fledged creatures swim and dive, so as effectually to avoid their numerous enemies. A tyro, thinking it an easy task to capture them, “as they cannot fly,” enters the river for the purpose of taking some of the ducklings, but returns exhausted after a fatiguing chase, without procuring one to reward his trouble, marvelling, as he directs his steps homeward, completely crest-fallen, how the little imps could have escaped.