XXXIV. 
The following day I determined to attempt the navigation of the river, and accordingly at an early 
hour a party of twenty, including the captain, left the ship in the steam launch and surf boat, and after 
calling at the village and getting Maino and Owta to accompany us, we commenced our first essay to 
penetrate into the interior of the country. The Katow, at its mouth, is about 200 yards wide; it very 
soon, however, narrows to about 60 yards, and it was not more than 30 yards wide at the highest point we 
reached. For the first two miles we passed through a dense forest of mangrove, but beyond that the 
margin of the river was closely lined by a very beautiful palm, which raised its huge frond-like leaves right 
from the surface of the water to a height of nearly 50 feet. Behind these there was the lofty and 
interminable forest, excepting where occasionally a break in the dark mass showed a banana or taro 
plantation. The day was fine, the view on some of the reaches was very lovely, everything—trees, birds, 
&e., were new to us,—we were progressing most favourably, and were in great spirits, when we were 
stopped by a tree of great size, which had fallen or been felled, across the river. We had then ascended 
the river about eight or nine miles, and as we were in a fine stream of fresh water, three fathoms deep, we 
were unwilling to return without an effort to overcome the obstacle. Our tomahawks, however, were quite 
unequal to the task, and we were, after two hours’ delay, compelled to turn back, with the intention of 
making another attempt the following day with suitable axes and cross-cut saws. 
A party was formed the following morning [July 9th], which I was prevented by illness from joining, 
to ascend the river again and remove the obstruction, but despite axes and cross-cut saws, the obstruction 
remained immovable, and the boats were compelled to return. 
Having thus failed in my effort to get inland by means of the river, and any progress by land being 
utterly impossible, I saw that it was of little use remaining longer at Katow. Birds were plentiful, but 
could not be got at. Crocodiles were abundant, but I had got two and wanted no more. Insects were few 
and fish were very scarce indeed. I therefore, on Saturday, July 10th, after about eight days’ stay, gave 
instructions for a move as soon as possible. It was not, however, till the 17th that we again cast anchor off 
Warrior Island. The working the ship out from Katow into clear water was more difficult than the 
approach, in so far that, in addition to the sounding and buoying of every inch of the way, we had on our 
return a south-easterly gale directly against us. Darnley Island, on account of its reputation as a 
convenient watering place, was our next destination, but though the distance was short, the weather was 
so tempestuous, and the wind so unfavourable, that we did not reach it till the afternoon of the 31st. The 
intermediate time was spent at anchor off the islands of Dungeness, Long Island, Bet, Sue, Cocoanut, and 
York Islands, and at some of these we found the Torres Straits pigeon so plentiful that we were enabled to 
shoot enough for food for the whole ship’s company. 
We remained at a very snug anchorage in Treacherous Bay, on the north side of Darnley Island, for a 
fortnight, waiting for letters from Cape York. Our success in dredging was very great, and altogether our 
time was nct misspent. 
On Friday, August 13th, we left Darnley Island for Hall Sound, on the east side of the Gulf of 
Papua, and, as we were informed we would find a very heavy sea crossing the gulf, I was reluctantly 
compelled to leave the steam launch behind in charge of the missionary. 
It had been no part of my intention originally to visit that part of New Guinea, but I found, upon our 
escape from the difficulties of Katow, that the captain was most averse, so long as the strong south-east 
trade wind continued, again to approach such a dangerous coast, and he positively declined to take the ship in 
towards the mouth of the Fly River before the month of October. There was nothing left for me, therefore 
but to try the east side of the gulf. It took us five days to get to Hall Sound, calling on our way at 
Bramble Cay, the breeding place of innumerable boobies, noddies, and terns. 
