28 CONFESSIONS OF A BEACHCOMBER 



numerically superior in force. . . . The men had large 

 cicatrices on the shoulders and across the breast and 

 belly, the septum of the nose was perforated, and none of 

 the teeth had been removed. I saw no weapons, and some 

 rude armlets were their only ornaments." 



Tam o' Shanter Point derives its title from the barque 

 of that name, in which the members of the Kennedy 

 Exploring Expedition voyaged from Sydney, whence they 

 disembarked on 24th and 2Sth May 1848. H.M.S. Rattle- 

 snake had been commissioned to lend Kennedy assistance, 

 and Macgillivray relates that everything belonging to the 

 party (with the exception of one horse drowned while 

 swimming ashore) was safely landed. The first camp was 

 formed on some open forest-land behind the beach at a 

 small fresh-water creek. On the 27th Mr Carson, the 

 botanist of the party, commenced digging a piece of ground, 

 in which he sowed seeds of cabbages, turnips, leek, pumpkin, 

 rock and water melons, pomegranate, peach-stones and 

 apple-pips. No trace of this first venture in gardening in 

 North Queensland is now discernible. No doubt, in- 

 quisitive and curious blacks would rummage the freshly- 

 turned soil as soon as the back of the good-natured 

 gardener was turned. It occurred to me that possibly the 

 pomegranate seeds might have germinated, and the plants 

 become established and acclimatised, but search proved 

 resultless. Carson makes no reference to the coco-nut 

 palm which once flourished at the mouth of the creek. 

 The inference is that the nut whence it sprang drifted 

 ashore after his attempt to civilise the vicinity by the 

 planting of seeds. Dalrymple refers to the tree which, at 

 the date of his visit (September 1873), was "about fourteen 

 feet in height, but without fruit." It grew to a great tree, 

 and blacks found in the fruit a refreshing, nutritious food ; 

 but an evil thing came along one day in the shape of a 

 thirsty Chinaman, and as he could not climb the tree he 

 cut it down, and blacks, even to this day, hate the name of 

 Chinaman. Opposite the Point is the Island of Timana, 

 known to some as " the Island on which the Chinaman was 



