Journals Of Two Expeditions Of Discovery In North West And Western Australia Volume 1 (Of 2) - George Grey (best free e book reader txt) 📗

Volume 1 Chapter 8 (To The Glenelg River) Pg 94

I Saw Now That But One Thing Could Be Done To Save Our Lives,  So I Gave

Coles My Gun To Complete The Reloading,  And Took The Rifle Which He Had

Not Yet Disengaged From The Cover. I Tore It Off And,  Stepping Out From

Behind Our Parapet,  Advanced To The Rock Which Covered My Light-Coloured

Opponent. I Had Not Made Two Steps In Advance When Three Spears Struck Me

Nearly At The Same Moment,  One Of Which Was Thrown By Him. I Felt

Severely Wounded In The Hip,  But Knew Not Exactly Where The Others Had

Struck Me. The Force Of All Knocked Me Down,  And Made Me Very Giddy And

Faint,  But As I Fell I Heard The Savage Yells Of The Natives' Delight And

Triumph; These Recalled Me To Myself,  And,  Roused By Momentary Rage And

Indignation,  I Made A Strong Effort,  Rallied,  And In A Moment Was On My

Legs; The Spear Was Wrenched From My Wound,  And My Haversack Drawn

Closely Over It,  That Neither My Own Party Nor The Natives Might See It,

And I Advanced Again Steadily To The Rock. The Man Became Alarmed And

Threatened Me With His Club,  Yelling Most Furiously; But As I Neared The

Rock Behind Which All But His Head And Arm Was Covered He Fled Towards An

Adjoining One,  Dodging Dexterously,  According To The Native Manner Of

Confusing An Assailant And Avoiding The Cast Of His Spear; But He Was

Scarcely Uncovered In His Flight When My Rifle Ball Pierced Him Through

The Back Between The Shoulders,  And He Fell Heavily On His Face With A

Deep Groan.

 

Dispersion Of His Followers.

 

The Effect Was Electrical. The Tumult Of The Combat Had Ceased: Not

Another Spear Was Thrown,  Not Another Yell Was Uttered. Native After

Native Dropped Away And Noiselessly Disappeared. I Stood Alone With The

Wretched Savage Dying Before Me,  And My Two Men Close To Me Behind The

Rocks,  In The Attitude Of Deep Attention; And As I Looked Round Upon The

Dark Rocks And Forests,  Now Suddenly Silent And Lifeless But For The

Sight Of The Unhappy Being Who Lay On The Ground Before Me,  I Could Have

Thought That The Whole Affair Had Been A Horrid Dream.

 

For A Second Or Two I Gazed On The Scene And Then Returned To My Former

Position. I Took My Gun From Coles,  Which He Had Not Yet Finished

Loading,  And Gave Him The Rifle. I Then Went Up To The Other Man,  And

Gave Him Two Balls To Hold,  But When I Placed Them In His Hands They

Rolled Upon The Earth--He Could Not Hold Them,  For He Was Completely

Paralysed With Terror,  And They Fell Through His Fingers; The

Perspiration Streamed From Every Pore; He Was Ghastly Pale And Trembled

From Head To Foot; His Limbs Refused Their Functions; His Eyes Were So

Fixed In The Direction In Which The Natives Had Disappeared That I Could

Draw His Attention To Nothing Else; And He Still Continued Repeating,

"Good God,  Sir! Look At Them,  Look At Them."

 

The Natives Had All Now Concealed Themselves,  But They Were Not Far Off.

Presently The Wounded Man Made An Effort To Raise Himself Slowly From The

Ground: Some Of Them Instantly Came From Behind The Rocks And Trees,

Without Their Spears,  Crowding Round Him With The Greatest Tenderness And

Solicitude; Two Passed Their Arms Round Him,  His Head Drooped Senselessly

Volume 1 Chapter 8 (To The Glenelg River) Pg 95

Upon His Chest,  And With Hurried Steps The Whole Party Wound Their Way

Through The Forest,  Their Black Forms Being Scarcely Distinguishable From

The Charred Trunks Of The Trees As They Receded In The Distance.

 

To Have Fired Upon The Other Natives When They Returned For The Wounded

Man Would,  In My Belief,  Have Been An Unnecessary Piece Of Barbarity. I

Already Felt Deeply The Death Of Him I Had Been Compelled To Shoot: And I

Believe That When A Fellow-Creature Falls By One's Hand,  Even In A Single

Combat Rendered Unavoidable In Self-Defence,  It Is Impossible Not

Sincerely To Regret The Force Of So Cruel A Necessity.

 

Return Wounded.

 

I Had Now Time To Attend To My Own State And That Of My Men,  And Found

That They Were Uninjured. I Had Been Severely Wounded In The Hip; Another

Spear Had Just Cut My Right Arm,  And A Third Had Deeply Indented My

Powder-Flask,  Whilst Lying In A Haversack,  Immediately Over My Stomach.

The Men Were Not,  Up To This Moment,  Aware Of My Being Wounded,  As I Had

Thought It Better To Conceal This Circumstance From Them As Long As I

Could. The Natives Had Gone Off In The Direction Of The Tents; And As I

Felt Doubtful Whether They Might Seize Upon A Favourable Opportunity To

Surprise The Party There,  And Thus Revenge Their Defeat,  I Was Anxious To

Reach The Encampment As Soon As Possible. We Therefore Bound Up My Wound

As Well As We Could,  Picked Up The Spear Which I Had Drawn Out From My

Hip,  And Started Homewards.

 

We Did Not Take With Us Any Of The Other Spears Or Native Weapons Which

Were Lying About In Abundance; For I Still Wished To Show This People

That I Was Actuated By No Ill Will Towards Them. They Did Not However

Deal So Generously With Us; For Coles Unfortunately Forgot A Notebook

Which He Was Carrying For Me,  Containing Many Observations Of Great

Value; And I Sent Back A Party To Look For It,  But The Natives Had

Returned To The Place And Carried Off All Their Own Spears,  And Other

Weapons,  And My Notebook Likewise.

 

The First Part Of Our March Homewards Was Managed Tolerably Well. We Saw

The Tracks Of The Natives,  As If They Were Still Retiring In The

Direction Of The Tents; And At One Place,  Close To A Group Of Detached

Rocks,  Were Several Tame Native Dogs,  Near Which I Have No Doubt A Party

Of Men Or Women Were Concealed,  As These Animals Seldom Wander Far From

Their Masters. We Did Not However See Any Natives,  And Continued Our

Route Unmolested.

 

My Wound Began By Degrees To Get Very Stiff And Painful,  And I Was

Moreover Excessively Weak And Faint From Loss Of Blood; Indeed I Grew So

Dizzy That I Could Scarcely See,  And Neither Of The Others Were Capable

Of Leading The Party Back To The Tents; Yet I Was Afraid To Halt And Rest

For I Imagined That If I Allowed My Wound To Grow Cold And Benumbed I

Volume 1 Chapter 8 (To The Glenelg River) Pg 96

Should Then Be Unable To Move; Leaning Therefore On Coles's Arm,  I Walked

On As Rapidly As I Could,  Directing The Men Which Way To Go.

 

Mistake Of The Route.

 

Unfortunately However We Lost Our Track And,  After Walking For Nearly Two

Hours,  I Found That We Were Far From The Encampment,  Whilst My Sight And

Strength Were Momentarily Failing. Under These Circumstances I Told Coles

To Walk In A Direction Which I Gave Him,  And Which Led Directly Across

The Beaten Track Of The Party; Having Reached Which He Could Easily Make

Out The Encampment,  And,  Leaning On His Arm More Heavily Than Before,  We

Again Moved On.

 

Inability To Proceed.

 

Having Reached The Track Of The Party And Turned Southward To Follow It I

Still Pushed On Until We Were Within Two Miles Of The Tent,  When,  As I

Tried To Cross A Stream,  I Strained My Wounded Hip Severely,  Just Reached

The Opposite Shore,  And Fell Utterly Unable To Rise Again. Coles,  With

His Usual Courage And Devotion To Me,  Volunteered To Go On Alone To The

Party And Send Assistance; The Other Man Was To Remain With Me And Keep A

Lookout For The Natives,  And,  Had They Again Attacked Us,  I Should Still

Have Had Strength Enough To Have Shot Two Of Them,  And Thus Have Sold My

Life Dearly. I Desired Coles To Say That A Tent,  Stores,  The Surgeon,  And

Two Men Were To Be Sent To Me,  For That I Was Not Well Enough To Be

Moved.

 

Reflections.

 

The Water Of The Stream Revived Me Considerably. My Wound However Was

Very Painful,  And The Interim Between Corporal Coles Leaving Me,  And

Assistance Arriving From The Tent Was Spent In Meditations,  Arising

Naturally From My Present Circumstances. I Sat Upon The Rocky Edge Of A

Cool Clear Brook,  Supported By A Small Tree. The Sun Shone Out Brightly,

The Dark Forest Was Alive With Birds And Insects. On Such Scenery I Had

Loved To Meditate When A Boy,  But Now How Changed I Was; Wounded,

Fatigued,  And Wandering In An Unknown Land. In Momentary Expectation Of

Being Attacked My Finger Was On The Trigger,  My Gun Ready To Be Raised,

My Eyes And Ears Busily Engaged In Detecting The Slightest Sounds,  That I

Might Defend A Life Which I At That Moment Believed Was Ebbing With My

Blood Away; The Loveliness Of Nature Was Around Me,  The Sun Rejoicing In

His Cloudless Career,  The Birds Were Filling The Woods With Their Songs,

And My Friends Far Away And Unapprehensive Of My Condition,  Whilst I Felt

That I Was Dying There.

 

Volume 1 Chapter 8 (To The Glenelg River) Pg 97

And In This Way Very Many Explorers Yearly Die. One Poor Youth (Mr.

Frederick Smith) My Own Friend And Companion,  Has Thus Fallen Since The

Circumstances Above Described Took Place; Others Have,  To My Knowledge,

Lately Perished In A Similar Way. A Strange Sun Shines Upon Their Lonely

Graves; The Foot Of The Wild Man Yet Roams Over Them: But Let Us Hope

When Civilization Has Spread So Far That Their Graves Will Be Sacred

Spots That The Future Settlers Will Sometimes Shed A Tear Over The

Remains Of The First Explorer,  And Tell Their Children How Much They Are

Indebted To The Enthusiasm,  Perseverance,  And Courage Of Him Who Lies

Buried There.

 

Mr. Walker Was By My Side Within An Hour After The Time That Coles Had

Left Me; He Had Come On Alone Ahead Of The Others,  Not Knowing But That I

Might Be In Immediate