Australian Exploration - George Grey - Later NZ's Governor
Jul 4, 2021 15:46:38 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 4, 2021 15:46:38 GMT 12
I came across this first-hand account written by the man who'd later be our own famous Governor George Grey, of exploring western Australia - when he was a British Army captain - in the Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, dated 28th of February 1846. I thought some members here would find this of interest.
CAPTAIN GREY'S TRAVELS IN AUSTRALIA.
A few extracts from Captain Grey's travels in North-West and Western Australia, published in London in 1841, cannot but be acceptable to our readers at the present moment, as it will enable them to form some estimate of the character of the man to whom we have to look for the regeneration of this colony. In the summer of 1837, Mr. Grey, then a lieutenant in the army, received the command of an expedition to explore the north-western portion of the continent of Australia; but the object of the expedition will be best understood by a short extract from his letter of instructions received from the Colonial Minister, Lord Glenelg : —
"1. We were to embark in H.M. sloop-of-war the Beagle, then fitting out for a survey of the coasts and seas of Australia, under the command of Captain Wickhara, R.N.; and to proceed in that vessel, either to the Cape of Good Hope, or to Swan River, as might ultimately appear best suited to forward the objects of the expedition.
"2. On our arrival at either of the foregoing places, we were directed to procure a small vessel to convey the party and stores to the most convenient point in the vicinity of Prince Regent's River.
"3. After due examination of the country about Prince Regent's River, we were instructed to take such a course as would lead us in the direction of the great opening behind Dampier's Land. From the moment of our arrival at this point, our subsequent proceedings were left more discretionary; but the instructions continued: 'You will use the utmost exertions to penetrate from thence to the Swan River; as, by adopting this course, you will proceed in a direction parallel to the unknown coast, and must necessarily cross every large river that flows from the interior towards that side of the continent.' "
The Beagle sailed from Plymouth on the 5th of July, and on her arrival at the Cape of Good Hope, the Lynher, a vessel of 140 tons, was engaged for the expedition. The party consisted of Lieutenant Grey, Lieutenant Lushington, second in command, Mr. Walker, surgeon, Corporals Coles and Auger, and seven men engaged at the Cape, including a second surgeon. The Lynher arrived at Hanover Bay, which is about 22° 26' south latitude, on the 2d of December; and the high courage and decision of the intrepid leader of the party was immediately called forth. Mr. Grey, Mr. Lushington, Mr. Walker, and three men were landed in the morning at High Bluff Point, near the mouth of the bay, and walked thence over a neck of land, hoping to be able to reach Hanover Bay and select a suitable spot for landing the stores by the time the vessel should get there in the evening. The excessive heat of the sun, want of water, and the nature of the country over which they had to travel, soon exhausted the strength of the whole party. The conclusion of the day's hardships we give in Captain Grey's own words : —
"It was now growing late, and the nature of the country was so rocky and difficult, that I thought it would be impossible for us to attempt to march in the night-time; whilst, on the other hand, the men seemed so completely worn out, that I feared another day without fresh water would be more than they could bear. I therefore became anxious to make the sea-coast before nightfall, considering that we could easily walk along the shore after dark, and fire a gun as a signal to the schooner to send a boat for us. With this view, therefore, I moved on towards the sea, requesting Mr. Lushington, when I fired, to follow my course with the men.
"As I walked a-head, I found the country very rocky, with lofty bare pinnacles standing up every here and there in the forest, one or two of which I climbed, but could see nothing of the vessel. I now fired a single shot, which, being answered by another from the party, I knew that they were on my traces, and again moved on towards the sea. I presently fired again, as I thought that they might augur favourably from the report, and continued occasionally to do so until I had reached the shore.
"The cliffs were so steep that I found some difficulty in descending, but directly I had gained the sea-beach I pulled off my clothes, and plunged into the water: the quantity of moisture taken into the system by absorption, as I lay in the sea, soon relieved my burning thirst, and by the time that the first of the party (Corporal Coles) came up, I was quite recovered. He followed my example, and soon began to revive also. The remainder of the party now arrived with Mr. Lushington, who had found much difficulty in getting them along. Of his exertions, under these trying circumstance, I cannot speak too highly. But for his persuasion and example, I think two of the men were so exhausted, that they would before this have given up in despair.
"Corporal Coles being now nearly recovered, I left the rest of the party under Mr. Lushington, to follow the plan of refreshing themselves by immersion in the sea, and, as two men appeared to me to be very ill, I arranged with him that he should keep the whole together, and, as soon as he considered them sufficiently recovered, they should follow myself and Coles; whilst we preceded them along the beach, for the purpose of sending a boat back from the Lynher to pick them up.
"I accordingly started with Coles, and had no. proceeded more than a mile, when we found two huts (one in ruins, and the other complete), of exactly the same size and form as that which we had seen in the morning: the recent track of a native along the beach close to these was also visible. In another half mile our progress was arrested by an arm of the sea, about four or five hundred yards across, from which the tide was running out with fearful rapidity; and on the opposite cliffs we observed a native watching our movements.
"As night was coming rapidly on, it was necessary for me to decide at once what I should do. Coles was unable to swim; if, therefore, I crossed the stream it must be alone: to do so with natives on the opposite bank, of whose intentions towards us we were entirely ignorant, was not without considerable danger; yet I was very unwilling to leave the men in such a state of suffering from thirst, when I was so near the schooner, from whence their wants could be supplied. Whilst I was debating what to do, Coles kept firing his gun, in hopes that they might hear the report on board, and send a boat to our relief; in vain, however, we strained our ears, the report of Coles's gun was reverberated from cliff to cliff, and from hill to hill, but no answering sound came back across- the tranquil water.
"In the mean time I felt more and more anxious about the portion of the party who were with Mr. Lushington, having left with them certain orders, and promised to send a boat up to them; on which promise all their further movements would be regulated. The beach near us afforded no wood wherewith to make a fire as a signal to the schooner; the cliffs hereabouts were too precipitous to climb; and it was evident that but very few of the party could swim so broad a space of water, granting that they ever reached so far as the point where Coles and myself now were. I therefore determined to run all risks, and swim the arm of the sea which stopped our way.
"I directed Coles to wait until the others came up, and then to remain with them until I returned in a boat. From the rugged nature of the shore I could not have walked a yard without shoes, so I kept them on, as well as my shirt and military cap, and I took a pistol in one hand, as a means of defence against the natives, or else to fire it when I reached a spot, where it could be seen or heard from the vessel.
"I plunged in, and very soon found myself caught in a tideway so violent, that resistance to its force, so as either to get on or return, appeared at the moment hopeless . My left hand, in which I held the pistol, was called into requisition to save my life; for the stream washed the cap from my head, and the cap then filling with water, and I being carried down by the strong current, the chin-strap caught round my neck and nearly throttled me, as I dragged it after me through the water; whilst the loose folds of my shirt being washed out to seawards by the tide, kept getting entangled with my arm. I grew weak and faint, but still swam my best, and at last I providentially reached a reef of rocks, which projected from the opposite shore, and to which I clung until I had somewhat regained my strength.
"I then clambered up on the rocks, and from thence made my way to the beach; but no sooner had I gained it, than I heard a native call from the top of the cliffs, and the answering cries of his comrades rang through the wood as they followed me along; my pistol was so thoroughly soaked in my passage across the inlet, that it was quite useless, except as a club. To attempt to swim back again, after the narrow escape I had just had, would have been madness; besides which, if I had succeeded I should have lost the object for which I had put my life at hazard. Nothing, therefore, was left, but to walk along shore to the schooner, trusting, in my defenceless state, that I might not fall in with any natives. It was now dark, and the shore was so broken and rocky that I got terribly cut and bruised, and was, moreover, so weak from my exertions in swimming, that, when I arrived opposite the vessel, I could scarcely hail. Some of those on board, however, heard me (as I found afterwards), and shouted in reply; but their voices never reached my ears, and I imagined they were too far, for I could not now see the vessel.
"I made one or two more efforts to hail the Lynher, but the noise I made had now attracted the notice of the natives, and I heard their cries in several directions round me; this rendered my situation an unpleasant one, for I was worn out, naked, and defenceless: at first I thought to return and rejoin my party, and even turned back for a short distance with this intention, but I found myself too weak for such an undertaking, and changed my plans; resolving to remain nearly opposite to the vessel until the morning, and resting my chance of safety upon being discovered from it before the natives found me.
"With this intent I returned to the position from which I had lately hailed, and crept into a hole in the rocks, whence I could still occasionally hear the calls of the natives; but being thoroughly worn out, I soon forgot my toils and dangers in a very sound and comfortable sleep. I might have slept for some two hours, when I was roused by hearing a voice shout ' Mr. Grey;' still, however, feeling rather distrustful of the truth of my mental impressions, and unwilling to betray my whereabouts to the natives, I returned no answer, but putting out my head from my secret place of rest, I waited patiently for a solution of my doubts. But again I certainly heard the name voice shout ' Mr. Grey,' and I moreover, now, distinctly recognized the noise of oars Working in the rullocks; I therefore hailed 'Lynhfer, ahoy' and all my doubts were completely put at rest by the hearty cheers which greeted my ear, as Mr. Smith, the mate of the schooner, called out, ' "Where shall we pull in, sir ?'
"In a few minutes more I was in the boat, and rejoiced to find all the party safely there before me. My next question was, 'Have you a little water here?' 'Plenty, sir,' answered Corporal Coles, as he handed me a little, which I greedily swallowed.
"Their adventures were soon related to me. The party under Mr. Lushington being on an exposed part of the coast, the flash of their guns had been seen after dark, and the captain despatched a boat from the schooner to pull along shore. This boat first of all found Coles, near where I had quitted him, and he directed them to the others: the boat, having picked them up, then returned for Coles, and heard from him the intentions with which I had attempted to swim the arm of the sea; but as he had never seen me reach the opposite bank, and the inlet was of very considerable width, they had, up to the moment of finding me, felt very serious misgivings as to my fate."
Captain Grey's second expedition was directed to the neighbourhood of Sharks' Bay, and its main object was to ascertain by what rivers that portion of north-western Australia is drained below the Glenelg, discovered by him in his first journey. Captain Grey and eleven companions, with three whale-boats and five months' provisions, embarked at Swan River on board an American whaler, and were landed on Bernier's Island, a few miles from the main. Here they stored their provisions, which, during a month's absence on the coast, were totally destroyed by a terrific gale of wind, which drove the sea over them, though placed on an elevation twenty feet above highwater mark. It was now resolved to return immediately to Swan River in two of the boats, the third having been stove previously, and after eight days' pulling against strong head winds, the two remaining boats were also rendered unserviceable in beaching through a heavy surf.
"The men being now completely worn out by incessant exertion and the mental anxiety they had undergone in the last fifty-six hours, during the whole of which time they had been in actual danger, I determined to attempt a landing in Gantheaume Bay, and, therefore, pulled along shore, with the intention of finding a spot where we could easily land, and yet be near a place likely to afford us water; for notwithstanding the economy we had practised, none now was left. I soon came to an opening in the bay, which I thought would suit our purpose, but Ruston, on whose opinion in such matters I placed great reliance, reported it to be utterly impracticable; we still, therefore, pulled along the shore, and found it lashed throughout its whole extent by a fearful surf. The south end of the bay, although protected by a reef, had just as heavy a surf breaking on it as any other part of the shore, and was also very rocky; we, therefore, turned back to a sandy beach which we had passed in pulling round the bay, and having carefully examined this, it appeared in every way suited to our purpose, so we committed ourselves to the mercy of the breakers, and in we went. As I stood at the steer-oar, I saw that this was a heavier surf than we had ever yet been in. We were swept along at a terrific rate, and yet it appeared as if each following wave must engulph us, so lofty were they, and so rapidly did they pour on. At length we reached the point where the waves broke; the breaker that we were on curled up in the air, lifting the boat with it, and when we had gained the summit, I looked down from a great height, not upon water, but upon a bare, sharp, black rock. For one second the boat hung upon the top of the wave; in the next, I felt the sensation of falling rapidly, then a tremendous shock and crash, which jerked me away amongst rocks and breakers, and for the few following seconds I heard nothing but the din of waves, whilst I was rolling about amongst men, and a torn boat, oars, and water-kegs, in such a manner that I could not collect my senses.
"A few moments were sufficient to enable us all to recollect ourselves: two men endeavoured to keep the boat's stern on to the sea, whilst the rest of us lightened her, by carrying every thing we could on shore, after which we hauled her up. The custom had always been for the other boat to lie off until I made the signal for them to run in, and it accordingly was now waiting outside the breakers. Her crew had not seen our misfortunes, owing to the height of the surf, which, when we were under it, shut us out from their view; and now perceiving that we were on shore, and the boat hauled up, they! concluded all was right; and, notwithstanding I made every possible sign to them not to beach, running as far as I could venture into the sea, and shouting out to them, — my voice was drowned by the roar of the surge, and I saw them bounding on to, what I thought, certain destruction. We, of course, were all turned to render assistance. They, fortunately, kept rather to the south of the spot on which we had beached, and where it was much less rocky, so that the danger they incurred in reaching the shore was slight in comparison to ours; yet some of the planks of this boat were split throughout their entire length."
The party were now three hundred miles from Perth in a direct line, with only twenty pounds of damaged flour and one pound of salt meat each man. The country over which they had to travel was exceedingly arid, and the inhabitants totally unacquainted with Europeans. But so excellent was the discipline preserved, that the journey was commenced with cheerfulness. On one occasion during their progress the safety of the whole party was in great danger from a threatened attack of a body of natives, which was only averted by Captain Grey's prudent conduct.
"I hoped the natives would let us go quietly on our way, and moved the party forward; but they now followed us with loud shouts, whilst those in the distance came running up. I again halted, but they would hold no communication, and when in despair, I again moved the party on, we saw a number hastening to occupy a thick scrub through which we had to pass. The men now became so dissatisfied and alarmed, that I found I should be unable much longer to restrain them from firing, if I did not disperse the natives.
"I, therefore, halted the party, and, cocking my gun, moved rapidly towards them, motioning them away; they retired as I advanced, but directly I turned they again followed us; I now ran towards them, with my gun pointed, when they made off before me once more, and in order to complete their dispersion, I had intended to fire over their heads; but to my great mortification and their intense delight, my gun snapped, and as they found the weapon I had with me, and with which I had menaced them in so authoritative a manner, appeared to produce no effect, they took courage, and, turning about, made faces at me, and an insulting noise, which was meant to imitate the snapping of the gun. Their inimical intentions now became more manifest; I, however, ran at them again, and fired my second barrel over their heads, which caused a rapid retreat; but they halted on a rising ground about three hundred yards from us, and finding, on the muster of their forces, that they had sustained no damage, they made preparations, as if resolved to commence hostilities in earnest.
"As these natives had now, unfortunately, learnt to despise our weapons, I was compelled to act promptly, or blood would undoubtedly have been shed. I therefore took my rifle from Coles, and directing it at a heap of closely matted dead bushes, which were distant two or three yards to the right of their main body, I drove a ball right through it: the dry, rotten boughs crackled, and flew in all directions, whilst our enemy, utterly confounded at this distant, novel, and unfair mode of warfare, fled from the field in confusion."
The hardships and privations endured during this journey were most distressing, and on one occasion they were two days without food or water travelling under a burning sun. Nevertheless, Captain Grey's great energy secured the safety of the whole party with the exception of one, a youth of eighteen, who sunk down utterly exhausted, and died on the way. Referring to one of his many trials, Captain Gray says —
"It may be asked, if, during such a trying period, I did not seek from religion that consolation which it is sure to afford ? My answer is, — Yes: and I farther feel assured that but for the support I derived from prayer and frequent perusal and meditation of the Scriptures, I should never have been able to have borne myself in such a manner as to have maintained discipline and confidence amongst the rest of the party: nor in all my sufferings did I ever lose the consolation derived from a firm reliance upon the goodness of Providence. It is only those who go forth into perils and dangers, amidst which human foresight and strength can but little avail, and who find themselves, day after day, protected by an unseen influence, and ever and again snatched from the very jaws of destruction, by a power which is not of this world, who can at all estimate the knowledge of one's own weakness and littleness, and the firm reliance and trust upon the goodness of the Creator which the human breast is capable of feeling. Like all other lessons which are of great and lasting benefit to man, this one must be learnt amid much sorrowing and woe ; but, having learnt it, it is but the sweeter from the pain and toil which are undergone in the acquisition."
We could go on making similar extracts from this highly interesting work if our space would permit, but on a future occasion we may again make a few quotations.
CAPTAIN GREY'S TRAVELS IN AUSTRALIA.
A few extracts from Captain Grey's travels in North-West and Western Australia, published in London in 1841, cannot but be acceptable to our readers at the present moment, as it will enable them to form some estimate of the character of the man to whom we have to look for the regeneration of this colony. In the summer of 1837, Mr. Grey, then a lieutenant in the army, received the command of an expedition to explore the north-western portion of the continent of Australia; but the object of the expedition will be best understood by a short extract from his letter of instructions received from the Colonial Minister, Lord Glenelg : —
"1. We were to embark in H.M. sloop-of-war the Beagle, then fitting out for a survey of the coasts and seas of Australia, under the command of Captain Wickhara, R.N.; and to proceed in that vessel, either to the Cape of Good Hope, or to Swan River, as might ultimately appear best suited to forward the objects of the expedition.
"2. On our arrival at either of the foregoing places, we were directed to procure a small vessel to convey the party and stores to the most convenient point in the vicinity of Prince Regent's River.
"3. After due examination of the country about Prince Regent's River, we were instructed to take such a course as would lead us in the direction of the great opening behind Dampier's Land. From the moment of our arrival at this point, our subsequent proceedings were left more discretionary; but the instructions continued: 'You will use the utmost exertions to penetrate from thence to the Swan River; as, by adopting this course, you will proceed in a direction parallel to the unknown coast, and must necessarily cross every large river that flows from the interior towards that side of the continent.' "
The Beagle sailed from Plymouth on the 5th of July, and on her arrival at the Cape of Good Hope, the Lynher, a vessel of 140 tons, was engaged for the expedition. The party consisted of Lieutenant Grey, Lieutenant Lushington, second in command, Mr. Walker, surgeon, Corporals Coles and Auger, and seven men engaged at the Cape, including a second surgeon. The Lynher arrived at Hanover Bay, which is about 22° 26' south latitude, on the 2d of December; and the high courage and decision of the intrepid leader of the party was immediately called forth. Mr. Grey, Mr. Lushington, Mr. Walker, and three men were landed in the morning at High Bluff Point, near the mouth of the bay, and walked thence over a neck of land, hoping to be able to reach Hanover Bay and select a suitable spot for landing the stores by the time the vessel should get there in the evening. The excessive heat of the sun, want of water, and the nature of the country over which they had to travel, soon exhausted the strength of the whole party. The conclusion of the day's hardships we give in Captain Grey's own words : —
"It was now growing late, and the nature of the country was so rocky and difficult, that I thought it would be impossible for us to attempt to march in the night-time; whilst, on the other hand, the men seemed so completely worn out, that I feared another day without fresh water would be more than they could bear. I therefore became anxious to make the sea-coast before nightfall, considering that we could easily walk along the shore after dark, and fire a gun as a signal to the schooner to send a boat for us. With this view, therefore, I moved on towards the sea, requesting Mr. Lushington, when I fired, to follow my course with the men.
"As I walked a-head, I found the country very rocky, with lofty bare pinnacles standing up every here and there in the forest, one or two of which I climbed, but could see nothing of the vessel. I now fired a single shot, which, being answered by another from the party, I knew that they were on my traces, and again moved on towards the sea. I presently fired again, as I thought that they might augur favourably from the report, and continued occasionally to do so until I had reached the shore.
"The cliffs were so steep that I found some difficulty in descending, but directly I had gained the sea-beach I pulled off my clothes, and plunged into the water: the quantity of moisture taken into the system by absorption, as I lay in the sea, soon relieved my burning thirst, and by the time that the first of the party (Corporal Coles) came up, I was quite recovered. He followed my example, and soon began to revive also. The remainder of the party now arrived with Mr. Lushington, who had found much difficulty in getting them along. Of his exertions, under these trying circumstance, I cannot speak too highly. But for his persuasion and example, I think two of the men were so exhausted, that they would before this have given up in despair.
"Corporal Coles being now nearly recovered, I left the rest of the party under Mr. Lushington, to follow the plan of refreshing themselves by immersion in the sea, and, as two men appeared to me to be very ill, I arranged with him that he should keep the whole together, and, as soon as he considered them sufficiently recovered, they should follow myself and Coles; whilst we preceded them along the beach, for the purpose of sending a boat back from the Lynher to pick them up.
"I accordingly started with Coles, and had no. proceeded more than a mile, when we found two huts (one in ruins, and the other complete), of exactly the same size and form as that which we had seen in the morning: the recent track of a native along the beach close to these was also visible. In another half mile our progress was arrested by an arm of the sea, about four or five hundred yards across, from which the tide was running out with fearful rapidity; and on the opposite cliffs we observed a native watching our movements.
"As night was coming rapidly on, it was necessary for me to decide at once what I should do. Coles was unable to swim; if, therefore, I crossed the stream it must be alone: to do so with natives on the opposite bank, of whose intentions towards us we were entirely ignorant, was not without considerable danger; yet I was very unwilling to leave the men in such a state of suffering from thirst, when I was so near the schooner, from whence their wants could be supplied. Whilst I was debating what to do, Coles kept firing his gun, in hopes that they might hear the report on board, and send a boat to our relief; in vain, however, we strained our ears, the report of Coles's gun was reverberated from cliff to cliff, and from hill to hill, but no answering sound came back across- the tranquil water.
"In the mean time I felt more and more anxious about the portion of the party who were with Mr. Lushington, having left with them certain orders, and promised to send a boat up to them; on which promise all their further movements would be regulated. The beach near us afforded no wood wherewith to make a fire as a signal to the schooner; the cliffs hereabouts were too precipitous to climb; and it was evident that but very few of the party could swim so broad a space of water, granting that they ever reached so far as the point where Coles and myself now were. I therefore determined to run all risks, and swim the arm of the sea which stopped our way.
"I directed Coles to wait until the others came up, and then to remain with them until I returned in a boat. From the rugged nature of the shore I could not have walked a yard without shoes, so I kept them on, as well as my shirt and military cap, and I took a pistol in one hand, as a means of defence against the natives, or else to fire it when I reached a spot, where it could be seen or heard from the vessel.
"I plunged in, and very soon found myself caught in a tideway so violent, that resistance to its force, so as either to get on or return, appeared at the moment hopeless . My left hand, in which I held the pistol, was called into requisition to save my life; for the stream washed the cap from my head, and the cap then filling with water, and I being carried down by the strong current, the chin-strap caught round my neck and nearly throttled me, as I dragged it after me through the water; whilst the loose folds of my shirt being washed out to seawards by the tide, kept getting entangled with my arm. I grew weak and faint, but still swam my best, and at last I providentially reached a reef of rocks, which projected from the opposite shore, and to which I clung until I had somewhat regained my strength.
"I then clambered up on the rocks, and from thence made my way to the beach; but no sooner had I gained it, than I heard a native call from the top of the cliffs, and the answering cries of his comrades rang through the wood as they followed me along; my pistol was so thoroughly soaked in my passage across the inlet, that it was quite useless, except as a club. To attempt to swim back again, after the narrow escape I had just had, would have been madness; besides which, if I had succeeded I should have lost the object for which I had put my life at hazard. Nothing, therefore, was left, but to walk along shore to the schooner, trusting, in my defenceless state, that I might not fall in with any natives. It was now dark, and the shore was so broken and rocky that I got terribly cut and bruised, and was, moreover, so weak from my exertions in swimming, that, when I arrived opposite the vessel, I could scarcely hail. Some of those on board, however, heard me (as I found afterwards), and shouted in reply; but their voices never reached my ears, and I imagined they were too far, for I could not now see the vessel.
"I made one or two more efforts to hail the Lynher, but the noise I made had now attracted the notice of the natives, and I heard their cries in several directions round me; this rendered my situation an unpleasant one, for I was worn out, naked, and defenceless: at first I thought to return and rejoin my party, and even turned back for a short distance with this intention, but I found myself too weak for such an undertaking, and changed my plans; resolving to remain nearly opposite to the vessel until the morning, and resting my chance of safety upon being discovered from it before the natives found me.
"With this intent I returned to the position from which I had lately hailed, and crept into a hole in the rocks, whence I could still occasionally hear the calls of the natives; but being thoroughly worn out, I soon forgot my toils and dangers in a very sound and comfortable sleep. I might have slept for some two hours, when I was roused by hearing a voice shout ' Mr. Grey;' still, however, feeling rather distrustful of the truth of my mental impressions, and unwilling to betray my whereabouts to the natives, I returned no answer, but putting out my head from my secret place of rest, I waited patiently for a solution of my doubts. But again I certainly heard the name voice shout ' Mr. Grey,' and I moreover, now, distinctly recognized the noise of oars Working in the rullocks; I therefore hailed 'Lynhfer, ahoy' and all my doubts were completely put at rest by the hearty cheers which greeted my ear, as Mr. Smith, the mate of the schooner, called out, ' "Where shall we pull in, sir ?'
"In a few minutes more I was in the boat, and rejoiced to find all the party safely there before me. My next question was, 'Have you a little water here?' 'Plenty, sir,' answered Corporal Coles, as he handed me a little, which I greedily swallowed.
"Their adventures were soon related to me. The party under Mr. Lushington being on an exposed part of the coast, the flash of their guns had been seen after dark, and the captain despatched a boat from the schooner to pull along shore. This boat first of all found Coles, near where I had quitted him, and he directed them to the others: the boat, having picked them up, then returned for Coles, and heard from him the intentions with which I had attempted to swim the arm of the sea; but as he had never seen me reach the opposite bank, and the inlet was of very considerable width, they had, up to the moment of finding me, felt very serious misgivings as to my fate."
Captain Grey's second expedition was directed to the neighbourhood of Sharks' Bay, and its main object was to ascertain by what rivers that portion of north-western Australia is drained below the Glenelg, discovered by him in his first journey. Captain Grey and eleven companions, with three whale-boats and five months' provisions, embarked at Swan River on board an American whaler, and were landed on Bernier's Island, a few miles from the main. Here they stored their provisions, which, during a month's absence on the coast, were totally destroyed by a terrific gale of wind, which drove the sea over them, though placed on an elevation twenty feet above highwater mark. It was now resolved to return immediately to Swan River in two of the boats, the third having been stove previously, and after eight days' pulling against strong head winds, the two remaining boats were also rendered unserviceable in beaching through a heavy surf.
"The men being now completely worn out by incessant exertion and the mental anxiety they had undergone in the last fifty-six hours, during the whole of which time they had been in actual danger, I determined to attempt a landing in Gantheaume Bay, and, therefore, pulled along shore, with the intention of finding a spot where we could easily land, and yet be near a place likely to afford us water; for notwithstanding the economy we had practised, none now was left. I soon came to an opening in the bay, which I thought would suit our purpose, but Ruston, on whose opinion in such matters I placed great reliance, reported it to be utterly impracticable; we still, therefore, pulled along the shore, and found it lashed throughout its whole extent by a fearful surf. The south end of the bay, although protected by a reef, had just as heavy a surf breaking on it as any other part of the shore, and was also very rocky; we, therefore, turned back to a sandy beach which we had passed in pulling round the bay, and having carefully examined this, it appeared in every way suited to our purpose, so we committed ourselves to the mercy of the breakers, and in we went. As I stood at the steer-oar, I saw that this was a heavier surf than we had ever yet been in. We were swept along at a terrific rate, and yet it appeared as if each following wave must engulph us, so lofty were they, and so rapidly did they pour on. At length we reached the point where the waves broke; the breaker that we were on curled up in the air, lifting the boat with it, and when we had gained the summit, I looked down from a great height, not upon water, but upon a bare, sharp, black rock. For one second the boat hung upon the top of the wave; in the next, I felt the sensation of falling rapidly, then a tremendous shock and crash, which jerked me away amongst rocks and breakers, and for the few following seconds I heard nothing but the din of waves, whilst I was rolling about amongst men, and a torn boat, oars, and water-kegs, in such a manner that I could not collect my senses.
"A few moments were sufficient to enable us all to recollect ourselves: two men endeavoured to keep the boat's stern on to the sea, whilst the rest of us lightened her, by carrying every thing we could on shore, after which we hauled her up. The custom had always been for the other boat to lie off until I made the signal for them to run in, and it accordingly was now waiting outside the breakers. Her crew had not seen our misfortunes, owing to the height of the surf, which, when we were under it, shut us out from their view; and now perceiving that we were on shore, and the boat hauled up, they! concluded all was right; and, notwithstanding I made every possible sign to them not to beach, running as far as I could venture into the sea, and shouting out to them, — my voice was drowned by the roar of the surge, and I saw them bounding on to, what I thought, certain destruction. We, of course, were all turned to render assistance. They, fortunately, kept rather to the south of the spot on which we had beached, and where it was much less rocky, so that the danger they incurred in reaching the shore was slight in comparison to ours; yet some of the planks of this boat were split throughout their entire length."
The party were now three hundred miles from Perth in a direct line, with only twenty pounds of damaged flour and one pound of salt meat each man. The country over which they had to travel was exceedingly arid, and the inhabitants totally unacquainted with Europeans. But so excellent was the discipline preserved, that the journey was commenced with cheerfulness. On one occasion during their progress the safety of the whole party was in great danger from a threatened attack of a body of natives, which was only averted by Captain Grey's prudent conduct.
"I hoped the natives would let us go quietly on our way, and moved the party forward; but they now followed us with loud shouts, whilst those in the distance came running up. I again halted, but they would hold no communication, and when in despair, I again moved the party on, we saw a number hastening to occupy a thick scrub through which we had to pass. The men now became so dissatisfied and alarmed, that I found I should be unable much longer to restrain them from firing, if I did not disperse the natives.
"I, therefore, halted the party, and, cocking my gun, moved rapidly towards them, motioning them away; they retired as I advanced, but directly I turned they again followed us; I now ran towards them, with my gun pointed, when they made off before me once more, and in order to complete their dispersion, I had intended to fire over their heads; but to my great mortification and their intense delight, my gun snapped, and as they found the weapon I had with me, and with which I had menaced them in so authoritative a manner, appeared to produce no effect, they took courage, and, turning about, made faces at me, and an insulting noise, which was meant to imitate the snapping of the gun. Their inimical intentions now became more manifest; I, however, ran at them again, and fired my second barrel over their heads, which caused a rapid retreat; but they halted on a rising ground about three hundred yards from us, and finding, on the muster of their forces, that they had sustained no damage, they made preparations, as if resolved to commence hostilities in earnest.
"As these natives had now, unfortunately, learnt to despise our weapons, I was compelled to act promptly, or blood would undoubtedly have been shed. I therefore took my rifle from Coles, and directing it at a heap of closely matted dead bushes, which were distant two or three yards to the right of their main body, I drove a ball right through it: the dry, rotten boughs crackled, and flew in all directions, whilst our enemy, utterly confounded at this distant, novel, and unfair mode of warfare, fled from the field in confusion."
The hardships and privations endured during this journey were most distressing, and on one occasion they were two days without food or water travelling under a burning sun. Nevertheless, Captain Grey's great energy secured the safety of the whole party with the exception of one, a youth of eighteen, who sunk down utterly exhausted, and died on the way. Referring to one of his many trials, Captain Gray says —
"It may be asked, if, during such a trying period, I did not seek from religion that consolation which it is sure to afford ? My answer is, — Yes: and I farther feel assured that but for the support I derived from prayer and frequent perusal and meditation of the Scriptures, I should never have been able to have borne myself in such a manner as to have maintained discipline and confidence amongst the rest of the party: nor in all my sufferings did I ever lose the consolation derived from a firm reliance upon the goodness of Providence. It is only those who go forth into perils and dangers, amidst which human foresight and strength can but little avail, and who find themselves, day after day, protected by an unseen influence, and ever and again snatched from the very jaws of destruction, by a power which is not of this world, who can at all estimate the knowledge of one's own weakness and littleness, and the firm reliance and trust upon the goodness of the Creator which the human breast is capable of feeling. Like all other lessons which are of great and lasting benefit to man, this one must be learnt amid much sorrowing and woe ; but, having learnt it, it is but the sweeter from the pain and toil which are undergone in the acquisition."
We could go on making similar extracts from this highly interesting work if our space would permit, but on a future occasion we may again make a few quotations.
