There is no scene in nature more exciting or which in a greater degree calls forth one's energy than the beaching of a boat in a dangerous surf. Never did I on such occasions take the steer-oar for the purpose of running the boat in but many contending feelings rushed through my mind, and after a few moments settled down into the calm which springs from the conviction that the general safety in coming dangers depends altogether upon the coolness and resolution with which they are met, and never more so than in beaching a boat when once you are among the foaming waters; in you must go; to retreat is impossible, and nothing is left but that each one silently and steadily do his duty, regardless of the strife and din of raging waves around. The only plan to adopt is for all to give way strongly and steadily, let what will take place, whilst the boat-steerer keeps her head straight for the beach. A huge roller breaks right into the boat and almost swamps it, a man is knocked over and loses his oar, heed not these things; let each man mind his own oar and nought else, and give way give way strongly, until the boat grounds, then in a moment each quits his oar and springs into the water, and ere the wave has retired the boat is partially run up; another wave succeeds, and the operation of running up is repeated until she is high and dry. Had our boats been swamped in the surf, even if we had escaped with our lives, our position would have been fearful; left without food or resources in an unknown and savage country so far beyond the reach of man's assistance. When therefore I again saw the boats safely beached, and my little party drying themselves over a fire, my breast filled with thankfulness to that Providence who had again watched over our safety.
ADJACENT COUNTRY EXPLORED.
Sunday March 17.
It blew half a gale of wind from the southward all night, and next morning such a surf was breaking upon the beach that to have attempted to move would have been madness. Here we were therefore once more kept prisoners upon this dreary coast; the country was exactly similar to that lying immediately to the north of it, with these two exceptions, that the range of sandhills was less elevated, and that we could not here find fresh water. The morning was passed in searching for it; in the middle of the day I read a few appropriate chapters in the Bible to the men, and in the afternoon I explored the country but discovered nothing whatever of an interesting nature.
LAUNCH THE BOATS, AND ENTER NORTHERN MOUTH OF THE GASCOYNE. CHARACTER OF THE COUNTRY.
March 18.
The wind was much lighter this morning and the surf not so heavy; we made a successful attempt to launch the boats just before sunrise. The wind still blew from the southward, and we found a heavy sea running outside. The men however exerted all their energies and just before sunset we reached the northern mouth of the Gascoyne, and found a very good passage into it with twelve feet water at low ebb-tide; but the other boat, not following our track, stuck fast on a sandbank, where she was soon left high and dry, and the tide fell so fast that we had a great deal of trouble in getting her afloat again.
BABBAGE ISLAND.
The bar once passed there are three and three and a half fathoms in this land-locked creek even at low water; the portion of Babbage Island which is between it and the sea appears to be nothing but a shifting bed of sand, and the mainland a delta, covered with mangrove swamps and brackish lagoons, at least for about a mile back.* We lay down upon the sand close to the boats, which were left at anchor with a boat-keeper in each, and found great difficulty in collecting driftwood enough to make our fires.
(*Footnote. In the year 1667 the Dutch Commodore Vlaming appears to have visited these coasts and to have ascended a river which might have been the Gascoyne. The account of his exploration is thus briefly given by Flinders (Terra Australis volume 1 Introduction page 61) After relating the arrival of his two ships off Cape Inscription at the north end of Dirk Hartog's Island he proceeds:
No mention is made by Valentyn of the ships entering the road, nor of their departure from it; but it should seem that they anchored on February 4th. On the 5th Commodore Vlaming and the commander of the Nyptang went with three boats to the shore, which proved to be an island. They found also a river, and went up it four or five leagues, amongst rocks and shoals, when they saw much water inland, as if the country were drowned, but no men, nor anything for food, and wherever they dug the ground was salt. They afterwards came to another river, which they ascended about a league, and found it to terminate in a round basin, and to be entirely salt water. No men were seen, nor any animals, except divers, which were very shy; and the country was destitute of grass and trees. Returning downward on the 10th, they saw footsteps of men and children of the common size, and observed the point of entrance into the river to be a very red sand.)