102 Land Magnetic Observations, 1914-20 



5 days for repairs, we again set out, and reached Roper River in the Gulf of Carpentaria 

 on June 7. (See view 2 of Plate 4.) The vessel is a ketch of 80 tons, fitted with aux- 

 iliary engines, which, however, were not powerful enough for the strong head winds from 

 the south and east which were encountered, sometimes for days together. During these 

 winds, whole days were spent sweltering, but permission was refused me to go ashore for 

 observations, though I asked it whenever we anchored for the day. Night traveling is out 

 of the question, as there are no lights along this entire coast and the seas are full of reefs 

 and shoals. After observations at the Roper River Mission Station, I continued the 

 journey to Boroloola, arriving June 13 after an all-night ride by launch up the McArthur 

 River. There was no boat available here by which to reach points on the Sir Edward 

 Pellew Islands as had been hoped, and I contented myself with a short buckboard trip to 

 Ryan's Bend. I was prevented from going farther afield by the uncertainty of the water 

 supply, and the necessity of being on hand to sail with the Leichhardt. On the return 

 voyage, while the vessel was anchored near one of the Sir Edward Pellew Islands for 

 making repairs on the engines, I was permitted to go ashore and make some observations , 

 after which we continued to Darwin, arriving June 29, after an uneventful voyage. 



Five weeks were consumed in making the trip. The weather was cool, and on the 

 days when the southeasters were blowing it was uncomfortably cold. The vessel had no 

 passenger accommodations. I slept on deck on some water tanks, using my own rug and 

 towels throughout the whole trip; the food, however, was good. Few blacks were seen, 

 though several times canoes came to us to trade pearl and turtle shell for tobacco and 

 beads. The coast is generally low and sandy, though some of the islands have an essen- 

 tially tropical appearance. 



IV. The Administrator at Darwin arranged for the Lone Hand, a government lugger, 

 to take me to the East Alligator River. After various delays, one of which enabled me to 

 make observations at Cape Hotham, we finally arrived at the landing on East Alligator 

 on July 24, and I immediately occupied a magnetic station nearby. A fierce bush-fire, 

 however, caused me to vacate the station in the afternoon, and I had a very narrow 

 escape from being caught and having the tent and instruments burned completely. A 

 black who had been stationed to watch the fire assured me that it had not jumped the 

 intervening creek, so I went on with the observations. Some sparks brought by a sudden 

 shift of the wind started a fire within about 200 yards of the tent, which a crowd of blacks 

 hurriedly gathered for the purpose were unable to check. There was no time for starting 

 a back fire. I began hurriedly dismounting the magnetometer, when the blacks lost their 

 heads and let the tent down on me. The pole in falling struck the instrument and caused 

 rather serious damage, but I was able to make temporary field repairs sufficient to enable 

 me to proceed with the work of my expedition. After making observations at Oenpelli, 

 which I reached by pack-horses kindly provided by Mr. Cahill, I returned in the Lone 

 Hand to Darwin. A month had been taken for this short trip, but I had no means of 

 shortening the time. The boat was an 8-ton lugger, loaded with cargo and stores, and had 

 no accommodations even for one passenger. I slept in the scuppers at night, assisted with 

 the sails and in steering during the day, and managed to keep in good health and spirits, 

 notwithstanding the exasperating delays. Mosquitoes and sand flies were very bad except 

 at sen. The river and creek were full of large alligators, which afforded good shooting. 

 Food ran short during one stage of the journey, when we lived on blackfellow's tea, 

 damper, and jam. 



V. The government boats could serve me no further, so I chartered the Doti, a 

 small, 2-ton, 35-foot open launch, for my trip to Cape Wessel and other points along that 

 coast. I set out on Thursday, August 6, with a party consisting of myself, a Chinese 

 engineer, and a Filipino sailor. At sundown Sunday evening we reached Victoria at the 

 old military settlement of Port Essington. We called at a trepang camp for water, hoping 



