Enterprise and Adventure/Sturt in Australia
STURT IN AUSTRALIA.
The Australian aborigines have generally been represented as harmless and inoffensive; but the pioneers of geographical discovery in that interesting continent frequently came upon tribes, and portions of tribes, from whose warlike attacks they only escaped with difficulty. Descriptions of encounters with them are frequent in the narrative of the gallant Sturt, who, in the four years from 1828 to 1831, traversed fearlessly no less than 3222 miles of country in the interior of Southern Australia; exploring the courses of rivers, examining the hills and valleys, and laying down all in a map, almost with the accuracy of a land-surveyor.
During his first expedition, as the party were travelling through a forest, they surprised a party of hunting natives. Sturt and Mr. Hume, one of the principal officers of the expedition, were considerably in advance of the party at the time, and had only one gun with them. Three of the natives were observed to be seated on the ground under a tree, and two others were busily employed on one of the lower branches cutting out honey. As soon as they saw the strangers four of them disappeared; but the fifth, who wore a cap of feathers, stood for a moment looking at them, and then, very deliberately, dropped out of the tree to the ground. Mr. Sturt then advanced, but before he got round a bush that intervened, the man darted away. Fearing that he had gone to collect his tribe, Sturt rode quickly back for his gun to support Mr. Hume; but on his return he found that the native had been before him. He stood about twenty paces from Mr. Hume, who was endeavouring to explain what he was; but seeing Sturt approach, he immediately poised his spear at him—that terrible weapon which the Australian aborigines throw with such unerring aim, and with such deadly effect. Mr. Hume then unslung his carbine and presented it; but as it was evident to Sturt that it was his reappearance alone which had startled the savage, he pulled up, and the man instantly lowered his weapon. He had evidently taken both man and horse for one animal, and as long as the rider kept his seat, the native remained upon his guard; but when he saw him dismounted, after the first astonishment had subsided, he struck his spear into the ground, and walked fearlessly up to him. This man exhibited a remarkable degree of coolness, courage, and dignity. The explorers easily made him understand that they were in search of water, when he pointed to the west, as indicating that they could supply their wants there. He gave his information (says Captain Sturt) in a frank and manly way, without the least embarrassment, and as the party passed, he stepped back to avoid the animals, without the smallest confusion.
The search for water was one of the most trying episodes in the first expedition. The river to which they had been directed was found to be completely dried up. Having then proceeded in a north-westerly direction, they could find no water anywhere to allay their thirst, and were about to abandon themselves to despair, when a noble river suddenly burst upon their view, subsequently known as the River Darling. The channel was from seventy to eighty yards broad, and enclosed an unbroken sheet of water, evidently very deep, and literally covered with pelicans and other wildfowl. Their difficulties seemed now to be at an end. Here was a river which promised to reward all their exertions, and which to their imagination appeared every moment to increase in importance. It had a capacity of channel which seemed to prove that they were as far from its source as from its termination. The paths of the natives on either side of it were like well-trodden roads, and the beautiful trees which overhung it were of gigantic growth.
All hastened now to avail themselves of this apparently abundant supply of that element which they had so long been seeking in vain. The banks were too precipitous to allow of their watering the cattle; but they eagerly descended to quench their thirst. In a moment more a cry of amazement told that they were grievously disappointed. With looks almost of horror, they called out to their commander the terrible news that the water was so salt as to be unfit to drink. Still undaunted, they followed the course of the river many miles in advance to the southwest, where they found the water deeper, and not so salt as on their first acquaintance. After having advanced into the country on this expedition nearly thirteen hundred miles, the expedition returned without loss of life.
Sturt's second journey, undertaken in the following year, extended over nearly two thousand miles, and was successfully performed. It was during this expedition that he discovered the River Murray—so named by him in honour of Sir George Murray, the Governor. The explorers were picked men, and included Mr. McLeay, a volunteer. The expedition was comprised in two boats, which started on the River Morumbidgee. The lands through which they sailed were remarkably beautiful and fertile; but their journey was not without its dangers; for they were often embarrassed by the sudden contractions and enlargements of the river, and often menaced by the natives, who wandered armed upon its banks. Such was the peculiar character of the navigation that they rose every morning with great doubts on their minds whether they were not thus early destined to witness the wreck and defeat of the expedition. The men generally placed themselves slowly and cautiously in the boat, so as to leave no part undefended. One stood at the bow, ready with poles to turn the boat's head from anything on which she might be drifting. Thus prepared, they allowed themselves to float with the stream, which was at all times dangerously full of floating trees and other incumbrances. Hopkinson, one of the men, constantly leaped from the boat upon apparenly rotten logs of wood, which did not appear capable of bearing his weight, the more effectually to save the boat. In every reach they encountered fresh difficulties. In some cases there lay across the stream huge trees, under the arched branches of which they were compelled to pass; but generally they had been carried roots foremost by the current, and therefore presented so many sharp points towards them as they came rushing on, that, had they struck any one of them, it must have gone through the boats. About noon one day they stopped to repair, and to take down the remains of their awning which had been torn away, and to recover from the anxiety in which they had been constantly kept since dawn. Starting again in the afternoon somewhat refreshed, the men looked anxiously on ahead, for a singular change in the river had filled them with the notion that they were approaching its termination. On a sudden it took a southern direction, but in its tortuous course swept round to every point of the compass with the greatest irregularity. The explorers were carried at a fearful rate between its gloomy and now contracted banks, and had little time to observe the country through which they were advancing. Suddenly Hopkinson called out that they were approaching a junction, and in less than a minute afterwards they were hurried out into a broad and noble river. Thus was discovered the River Murray. "It is impossible (says Sturt) for me to describe the effect of so instantaneous a change of circumstances upon us. The boats were allowed to drift along at pleasure, and such was the force with which we had been shot out of the Morumbidgee, that we were carried nearly to the bank opposite its embouchure, whilst we continued to gaze in silent astonishment on the capacious channel we had entered; and when we looked for that by which we had been led into it, we could hardly believe that the insignificant gap that presented itself to us was, indeed, the termination of the beautiful and noble stream, whose course we had thus successfully followed. I can only compare the relief we experienced to that which the seaman feels on weathering the rock upon which he expected his vessel would have struck, to the calm which succeeds moments of feverish anxiety, when the dread of danger is succeeded by the certainty of escape."
The natives looked with suspicion upon this invasion, and began to gather in force upon the banks. The party escaped from attack upon one occasion by a singular circumstance. As they proceeded, it was with considerable apprehension that Sturt observed the river to be shoaling fast, more especially as a large sand-bank, a little below, and on the same side on which the natives had gathered, projected nearly a third way across the channel. To this sand-bank these natives ran with tumultuous uproar, and covered it over in a dense mass. Some of the chiefs advanced to the water to be nearer their victims, and turned from time to time to direct their followers. With every pacific disposition, and an extreme reluctance to take away life, Sturt foresaw that it would be impossible any longer to avoid an engagement; yet with such fearful numbers against them, he was doubtful of the result. The spectacle they had witnessed had been one of the most appalling kind, and sufficient to shake the firmness of most men; but at that trying moment his little band preserved their temper and coolness; and if anything could be gleaned from their countenances, it was that they had determined on an obstinate resistance. He now explained to them that their only chance of escape depended, or would depend, on their firmness. He desired that after the first volley had been fired, McLeay and three of the men would attend to the defence of the boat with bayonets only, while he, Hopkinson, and Harris would keep up the fire, as being more used to it. He ordered, however, that no shot was to be fired until after he had discharged both his barrels. He then delivered their arms to the men, which had as yet been kept in the place appropriated for them, and at the same time some rounds of loose cartridge. The men assured him they would follow his instructions; and thus prepared, having already lowered the sail, they drifted onwards with the current. As they neared the sand-bank, Sturt stood up and made signs to the natives to desist, but without success. He took up his gun, therefore, and cocking it, had already brought it down to a level. A few seconds more would have closed the life of the nearest of the savages; the distance was too trifling for him to doubt the fatal effects of the discharge, for he was determined to take deadly aim, in hopes that the fall of one man might save the lives of many. But at the very moment, when his hand was on the trigger, and his eye was along the barrel, his purpose was checked by McLeay, who called to him that another party of blacks had made their appearance upon the left bank of the river. Turning round, he observed four men at the top of their speed. The foremost of them, as soon as he got a-head of the boat, threw himself from a considerable height into the water, struggled across the channel to the sand-bank, and, in an incredibly short space of time, stood in front of the savage against whom his aim had been directed. Seizing him by the throat, he pushed him backwards, and forcing all who were in the water upon the bank, he trod its margin with a vehemence and an agitation that were exceedingly striking. At one moment pointing to the boat, at another shaking his clenched hand in the faces of the most forward, and stamping with passion on the sand; his voice, that was at first distinct and clear, was lost in hoarse murmurs. Two of the four natives remained on the left bank of the river, but the third followed his leader (who proved to be the remarkable savage he had previously noticed) to the scene of action.
The exploring party knew nothing of the meaning of this singular scene, or of the interference to which they probably owed their lives. The expedition subsequently returned in safety, bringing back much valuable information concerning a part of the continent till then entirely unknown.