CHAPTER XII
AUSTRALIA (ENDEAVOUR RIVER) TO TORRES STRAITS
June 20—August 26, 1770
Pumice-stone—Ship laid ashore—Kangooroos seen—White ants—Preserving plants—Chama gigas—Fruits thrown up on the beach—Excursion up the country—Making friends with the Indians—A kangooroo killed—Turtle—Indians attempt to steal turtle and fire the grass—Didelphis—Among the shoals and islands—Lizard Island—Signs of natives crossing from the mainland—Ship passes through Cook's passage—Outside the grand reef—Ship almost driven on to the reef by the tides—Passes inside the reef again—Corals—Straits between Australia and New Guinea.
June 20th. Observed that in many parts of the inlet, a good way above the high-water mark, were large quantities of pumice-stones probably carried there by freshes or extraordinarily high tides, as they certainly came from the sea. Before night the ship was lightened, and we observed with great pleasure that the springs, which were now beginning to lift, rose as high as we could wish.
21st. Fine clear weather; began to-day to lay plants in sand.[1] By night the ship was quite clear, and in the night's tide (which we had constantly observed to be much higher than the day's) we hauled her ashore.
22nd. In the morning I saw her leak, which was very large: in the middle was a hole large enough to have sunk a ship with twice our pumps, but here Providence had most visibly worked in our favour, for it was in a great measure plugged up by a stone as big as a man's fist. Round the edges of this stone had all the water come in, which had so
- ↑ A mode of preserving for herbarium purposes.
