CHAPTER JCLIII 



THE JARDINE BROTHERS' EXPEDITION, continued 

 STATEN RIVER, DE FACTO, TO JARDINE RIVER 



LEAVE THE STATEN, DE FACTO. SHARK'S FLESH. INUNDABLE COUNTRY. CAMP 38. 

 HOSTILE NATIVES. Loss OF HORSES. HORSES MAD FROM THIRST. Loss OF 

 " INDISPENSABLES." SICKNESS. LEICHHARDT'S " ROCKY CREEK." CAMP 39. 

 DUNBAR CREEK. CAMP 40. ANASTOMOSING OF RIVER MOUTHS IN A COMMON 

 DELTA. ARTESIAN WATER A PROBABILITY. GROUP OF MODERN STATIONS. 

 CONFLICT WITH NATIVES. LEICHHARDT'S MITCHELL RIVER. CAMPS 42 AND 43. 

 POISON PLANTS. " BATTLE OF THE MITCHELL." ABORIGINAL TACTICS. CAMP 

 47. BEGINNING OF WET SEASON. CAMP 48. HEAVY RAIN AND No WATER 

 FOR THE CATTLE. BALOURGAH CREEK. CAMP 51. EDWARD RIVER. COLEMAN 

 RIVER. HERSEY CREEK. CAMP 52. HOLROYD RIVER. THALIA CREEK. CAMP 

 54. VEREENICHDE RIVER. THE " DUYFKEN'S " VOYAGE (1606). CONFLICT 

 WITH NATIVES, WHO DISPERSE CATTLE. SOME CATTLE LOST. KENDALL RIVER. 

 SINCLAIR CREEK. CAMPS 56 AND 57. PATCH OF GOOD COUNTRY. KINLOCH 

 CREEK. THE DESERT SANDSTONE. SOUTH COEN RIVER. ARCHER RIVER. GOOD 

 COUNTRY. CAMP 58. TRIBUTARIES OF WATSON RIVER. CAMP 62. MERLUNA 

 DOWNS. MYALL CREEK. MISSION RIVER. CAMP 63. Cox CREEK. BATAVIA 

 RIVER. CAMP 64. TRUE POSITION OF COEN RIVER. THE DUTCH LANDING 

 (1623). GOLD IN BATAVIA RIVER. CAMP 65. CATTLE BOGGED. CAMP 66. 

 NIMROD CREEK. HORSES DROWNED. CAMP 67. HORSES POISONED. " BLACK 

 THURSDAY." CAMPS 68 AND 69. LAST CONFLICT WITH NATIVES. LIGHT JOBS 

 FOR THE DAY OF REST. MODERN SQUATTING RUNS. CARPENTIER REVIER (1606). 

 THE CAPE YORK TELEGRAPH SURVEY. MISIDENTIFICATION OF JARDINE'S CREEKS. 

 DISMOUNTED AND FOOTSORE. PALM CREEK. CAMP 70. DALHUNTY CREEK. 

 RICHARDSON RANGE. GIGANTIC ANTHILLS. SKARDON RIVER. " MOST ABOMIN- 

 ABLE COUNTRY." THE BLASTED HEATH. STARVING HORSES AND CATTLE. 

 HORSEFLESH. CAMP 73. SHELBURNE BAY SIGHTED. CAMP 74. INTERSECTIONS 

 OF KENNEDY'S AND JACK'S TRACKS. CABBAGE-TREE HATS. CAMISADE CREEK. 

 CAMP 77. BACKBONE OF PENINSULA. CAMP 78. CONFRONTING THE ESCAPE 

 RIVER PROBLEM. 



THE meagre diet of the camps at the mouth of the Staten 

 River, dejacto, was varied by the addition of shark's flesh, 

 which was jerked (sun-dried), together with the flesh of a 

 bullock which was killed. 



The position of the party was now very serious. The HORSES 

 were leg-weary and emaciated, and both they and the CATTLE 

 were falling off owing to the insufficiency of food and were rapidly 

 diminishing in numbers. Trying to progress to the north the party 

 had been forced to march further and further to the west till they 

 reached the mangrove swamps of the Gulf littoral. In the flat 

 country where they now found themselves, ominous FLOOD MARKS 



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