216 NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA 



The loth September was a Sunday, and although the party 

 was on the march, there were " prayers as usual at eleven o'clock." 

 Exactly twelve hours later, three SPEARS were thrown into the 

 camp, and were answered by a few SHOTS fired in the dark, but no 

 casualties appear to have resulted on either side. 



From the nth to the i^th September, the course was north, 

 over " rotten," but fairly level, country, partly liable to inundation 

 and occasionally with small grass-covered hillocks, among which 

 the failing horses continually stumbled and fell. A camp was 

 surprised and the NATIVES having fled in alarm, a half-cooked 

 chestnut cake and some pandanus fruit were taken away, fish-hooks 

 being left in compensation. The pandanus did not prove satis- 

 factory because of its laxative properties and its tendency to produce 

 violent headache. It might have been better, after all, to have 

 eaten the fish-hooks and left the pandanus to the natives. On the 

 15^, the party crossed the PALMER RIVER and CAMPED on its 

 right, or northern, bank, opposite the site of the future PALMERVILLE. 

 The Hodgkinson, Walsh and Palmer are, of course, designated by 

 names bestowed long after Kennedy's day. By what name he 

 distinguished them will never be known. 



After the camp had been pitched, a party caught a few fish 

 in the river. Towards evening, six or eight NATIVES threatened 

 the camp, shipping their SPEARS in throwing-sticks (wimmeras). 

 An endeavour to convince the intruders that hostility was not 

 intended was construed into an indication of fear and the advance 

 was continued, whereupon the white men FIRED. No one was 

 hurt, and the invaders retired, but only to go and attack the 

 fishing party. Here again they met a determined defence, and 

 they only fled after they had been fired on. 



The party remained in camp on the following day (i6th Septem- 

 ber), when they were again ATTACKED, this time by 12 or 14 NATIVES, 

 armed with spears and boomerangs. 



" Their bodies were painted," says Carron, " with a yellowish earth, which, with 

 their warlike gestures, made them look very ferocious. The grass in the position 

 they had taken up was very long and very dry, quite up to the edge of the gully ; 

 they set it on fire in three or four places, and the wind blowing from them to us, it 

 burned very rapidly. Thinking we should be frightened by this display, they followed 

 the fire with their spears shipped, making a most hideous noise, and with the most 

 savage gestures. Knowing the fire could not reach us, as there was nothing to burn 

 on our side of the gully, we drew up towards them with our firearms prepared. They 

 approached near enough to throw three spears into our camp, one of which went 

 quite through one of our tents. No one was hurt, but a few of our party fired at them ; 

 we could not tell whether any were wounded, as they disappeared almost immediately. 

 We kept three on watch this night for fear of the natives. " 



It does not appear that Kennedy or any of his party prospected 

 the Palmer, or had any suspicion of the presence of GOLD, which 

 was to be so amply demonstrated by the subsequent explorations 

 of HANN and MULLIGAN. 



