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NARRATIVE OF AN EXPLORING TOUR ACROSS 
MELVILLE ISLAND, WITH NOTES ON ITS 
BOTANY. 
By Maurice Houtze, F.L.S. 
[Read June 7, 1892]. 
In October, 1887, an exploring party left Port Darwin for 
Melville Island, situated about 40 miles to the north of Port 
Darwin. It was organized by the Government Resident, the 
Hon. J. L. Parsons, with the view of exploring the interior of 
the island, of which, owing to the warlike and uncompromising 
attitude of its natives, so very little as yet is known. The party 
consisted of 11 Europeans, five Chinese carriers, and six natives 
of the mainland, and was under the leadership of a bushman of 
great experience, Mr. P. Saunders. The aboriginals were taken 
as scouts, and to assist in night-watching, and their intense fear 
of the wild inhabitants of the island made them most reliable 
sentinels. There is an old legend amongst the natives of the 
mainland that raids had been made in olden times by the savage 
inhabitants of Melville Island upon those of the mainland, and it 
was with considerable trouble that these six natives were induced 
to accompany us. 
The party arrived late in the afternoon of the 7th October 
opposite two small creeks about ten miles north-east from Cape 
Gambier, where our leader intended to land; the strong tidal 
influence of Clarence Straits drifted our vessel, however, during 
the night about 12 miles further to the east, where we landed 
the next morning on a fine sandy beach. From here we had to 
cut our way through a dense dry jungle about a mile in width, 
after which we came to a long mangrove flat, and altered our 
course to north-north-west. About a mile further we came to a 
chain of billabongs with plenty of water, which, however, was 
strongly polluted by buffalos. This creek we followed for about 
a quarter of a mile, and camped then for the day on an open 
place, so as to arrange everything for an early start next morning. 
During the afternoon a lubra passed our camp, in the distance, 
who ran away yelling with fright on catching sight of us. Shortly 
after a native appeared, who harangued us from a distance and 
evidently ordered us off the island. As I wished to establish 
some sort of intercourse with the inhabitants, and as he was 
unarmed and accompanied by a lubra, which showed that he had 
no intent to attack just then, I advanced alone on him, bearing 
