They then wished us to go up the valley of the river with them, but we ascended a high hill to the north side, being desirous of getting a view and in hopes of seeing the large estuary pencilled on the chart by Captain Grey. From this hill we had an extensive view of all the country to the west and north of the Menai Hills. The whole face of the country looked grassy, and thinly sprinkled over with what may be acacias, probably the mangart, or raspberry-jam-scented wood, as it had just that appearance, and a kily which we had got from the natives in the morning was made of that wood. But there was not even a drop of water visible, nor any sign of a large river, though this is just the position assigned to the Hutt River; but certainly it is quite possible that nearer the source of these rivers there may be larger reservoirs and more water, which may be to a great degree absorbed before it reaches the sea, as we find this to be the case with many of the rivers of this country. In the meantime the natives seemed dissatisfied about our going on the hills, and offended, and were very importunate with us to go down to the low grounds in the valley. "Koa yeka" ("Come this way," as I understood it) was their constant call; and when at last we did consent, as we were going down the side of a steep, rocky limestone hill, I could not help feeling that we were very much in their power. Looking round suddenly upon one occasion I observed a man making gestures with his feet at the head of the Captain, as if showing to the rest how he could knock him down easily. The man seemed uneasy at being detected, but I laughed it off as a joke, which probably it was after all; but their manner seemed to have changed considerably. When we arrived at the level ground they became very urgent that we should "sit down in the shade," "maloka nineka" (a Swan River man would say "malok nginnow"). They caught hold of us and pulled us, and wanted very much to get the guns from us. Thinking it most prudent to return to the boat we turned with that intention, when they did everything they could, short of using force, to prevent us. They stood in our way, they caught us in their arms, they pushed us, they tried to snatch or seize our guns, but we persisted steadily and good-humouredly to make our way back towards the boat. One old man wished me to approach the brink of the high ground overlooking the bed of the river, but seeing that it was a perpendicular precipice to which he was leading, or rather pushing me, I suddenly clasped him with one arm and walked away from it, at which the rest set up a shout of laughter. His intentions may have been perfectly friendly but I certainly did not feel confident that they were so. I intimated that when we got to the boat we should give them some more bread; and I felt that the knowledge that the bread was in the boat was likely to be very much in our favour and to contribute mainly to our safety. My fear was that they had sent for their spears and wished to detain us till they came. However we arrived at the beach where the boat was standing outside of the surf waiting for us.
RETURN TO THE VESSEL.
On our return to the ship I proposed that we should now touch at the more northern river where we were deterred from landing by their first appearance. We went therefore to the mouth of the river, which is completely blocked up by sandhills, with two or three small gaps through which water appeared to have made its way at some time; but the entire of the bed of the river, which was only a few yards wide, was covered with growing samphire. There were two or three small pools of very salt water above this, but no fresh water visible. We took a hasty view from a high sandhill. The interior, where we could see anything of it, looked grassy, and there was some grass even on the sandhills near the beach; but our view was very limited and hurried. We had no sooner returned to the boat than we saw a party coming along the beach about a quarter of a mile away, and another party on the top of the hill above, where we first saw them and where we supposed their weapons to have been left. They shouted, we went on board.
SAIL TO THE SOUTHWARD. PORT GREY.
Sunday morning.
Weighed anchor and stood to the south to examine a bay opposite the southern part of Moresby's Flat-topped Range. This bay, which is not laid down in the charts, was found to be an excellent anchorage, completely sheltered from all southerly winds, which are the prevailing winds on this coast at this time of the year, and also much protected by a reef running north and south from the extreme point of the bay. This reef or bank was found to have from three to five fathoms upon it, and within it there was seven fathoms, even near to the shore, at the bottom of the bay; and there is no appearance of any heavy sea or violent action of the water on the beach at any time of the year.*
(*Footnote. The report of this bay by the Master of the Champion is as follows: 26th January 1840. Anchored in a bay not laid down in the charts, lying in latitude 28 degrees 50 minutes, the north land bearing north-north-west, and the south point south-west. A reef breaks off the point, the north part of which bore west-south-west; but it extends far more to the north, and breaks, I presume, in bad weather. The reefs extend also a great way to the westward of this point. We anchored about half a mile from the shore in seven fathoms water, and about three miles from the head of the bay. The soundings are exceedingly even for five miles, carrying seven fathoms, never varying: just before, we carried four and five, when, I think, we passed over the reef, which appears to me to join the main at that distance from the south-west point. The beach does not show the least sign of any sea. Found two posts stuck up in it. I consider this bay an excellent anchorage during summer; and, I think, from the appearance of the beach, it must be safe in winter.)
SEA VIEW OF AUSTRALIND. APPEARANCE OF THE COUNTRY.
To the south of the tongue of land which forms the bay there is also another bay, which would be completely sheltered from all northerly winds so as to combine between the two bays perfect shelter at all seasons of the year. From the deck of the schooner where she lay we had a view of the entire slope of ground from the beach to the top of the range, about five or six miles distant. The range seems to consist of isolated hills rising from an elevated plain. Judging by the eye at that distance, the entire space as far as we had any opportunity of seeing, after going a little way back from the coast, on the slope to the hills, upon the hills, among the hills, beyond the hills, and, in short, everywhere, as far as the eye could discern, appeared a grassy country, thinly sprinkled with some low trees or shrubs, perhaps the acacia. If this be the case, and that there be water sufficient, of which there is no reason to doubt, this may certainly turn out to be the finest district for sheep pasture that this colony can possess. What may be the breadth of this district, how far it may extend into the interior, of course nothing can be known or said; but from what I have now seen, and from what Captain Grey has seen on a former occasion, there is little doubt that it extends north and south from the northern part of the Menai Hills as far south as the River Arrowsmith, a distance of more than 80 miles. To the south of that river comes the range of hills which Captain Grey has called Gairdner's Range, and which is supposed to be the northern termination of the Darling Range; if so it is very probable that, by keeping on the east side of the Darling Range a continuation of pastoral country might be found all the way to Moresby's Flat-topped Range. In coming to our anchorage this morning we passed the opening of another river, that which is laid down in Captain King's charts as the largest. From what we saw of it I do not think that much water can issue from it either, although its bed looked larger and better defined than any we had seen hitherto. The man from the mast-head said he saw the sandy beach all across it. But the Captain, being anxious to examine the anchorage in the bay, did not wish to come to anchor sooner, so we passed on, perhaps 10 or 12 miles to the south of it. Just as they were about to let go the small anchor, which had been used since the first was broken, it was discovered that it also was broken nearly through, so we had to drop a large and heavy one, being the only one now remaining in the ship. We then landed in the boat, and saw two pieces of ship's timbers set up in the sand of the beach, about half a mile from each other. Dug and examined under and about the largest of them in hopes of finding some directions, probably about fresh water, but found none. Examined a place where the tea-tree and wattles were very green and luxuriant looking; it appeared like a swamp in winter, but quite dry now. Was struck by the singularity of some tea-trees growing, of a large size, both up the sides and on the tops of high sandhills, but which appeared to rest upon limestone. Got a view to the east and south of the range. The country presented the same appearance as before. It must be remarked that the grass was all parched and withered and of a yellow straw colour; and it was from this colour principally that we judged of its existence on the distant grounds. Those who have once seen tracts of withered grass will not readily mistake its appearance; but the green of the shrubs was extremely vivid. One observation which we had repeated occasion to make was the constant heavy dews which fell at night on this coast, rendering everything about the ship quite wet. The wind was off the land. The country all around seemed to be on fire in the morning. The thermometer, as I stood on the deck, was 94 degrees. In the evening the wind came round to the north-west, and, desirous of availing ourselves of such a favourable breeze, we got on board and set sail, but were obliged to stand well out to sea to clear the reefs. Towards night it fell calm again, and there was some lightning in the north.