Read Online The Explorers by Tim Flannery - Free Book Online

meantime Dr Solander and myself began our plant gathering. In the evening the ship was moored within twenty feet of the shore afloat and before night much lumber was got out of her…
    20 June—Weather cleared up so we began to gather and dry plants of which we had hopes of as many as we could muster during our stay…
    21 June—Fine clear weather: began today to lay plants in sand. By night the ship was quite clear and in the night’s tide (which we had constantly observed to be much higher than the day’s) we hauled her ashore.
    22 June—In the morn I saw her leak which was very large: in the middle was a hole large enough to have sunk a ship with twice our pumps, but here providence had most visibly worked in our favour, for it was in great measure plugged up by a stone which was as big as a man’s fist. Round the edges of this stone had all the water come in which had so near overcome us, and here we found the wool and oakum or fothering which had relieved us in so unexpected a manner. The effects of the coral rock upon her bottom is difficult to describe but more to believe; it had cut through her plank and deep into one of her timbers, smoothing the gashes still before it so that the whole might easily be imagined to be cut with an axe. Myself employed all day in laying in plants. The people who were sent to the other side of the water in order to shoot pigeons saw an animal as large as a greyhound, of a mouse colour and very swift.† They also saw many Indian houses and a brook of fresh water.
    23 June—The people who went over the river saw the animal again and described him much in the same manner as yesterday.
    24 June—Gathering plants and hearing descriptions of the animal which is now seen by everybody. A seaman who had been out in the woods brought home the description of an animal he had seen, composed in so seamanlike a style that I cannot help mentioning it: it was (says he) about as large and much like a one gallon cagg, as black as the devil and had two horns on its head; it went but slowly but I dared not touch it.††
    25 June—In gathering plants today I myself had the good fortune to see the beast so much talked of, though but imperfectly; he was not only like a greyhound in size and running but had a long tail, as long as any greyhound’s; what to liken him to I could not tell, nothing certainly that I have seen at all resembles him…
    29 June—One of our midshipmen, an American who was out a shooting today, saw a wolf, perfectly he said like those he had seen in America; he shot at it but did not kill it.††† The seine was hauled today for the first time and 150 pounds of fish caught in it… 1 July—Being Sunday all hands were ashore on liberty; many animals were seen by them. The Indians had a fire about a league off up the river…
    The ship was now finished and tomorrow being the highest spring tide it was intended to haul her off, so we began to think how we should get out of this place, where so lately to get only in was our utmost ambition. We had observed in coming in innumerable shoals and sand all round us, so we went upon a high hill to see what passage to the sea might be open. When we came there the prospect was indeed melancholy: the sea everywhere full of innumerable shoals, some above and some under water, and no prospect of any straight passage out. To return as we came was impossible, the trade wind blew directly in our teeth. Most dangerous then our navigation must be among unknown dangers. How soon might we again be reduced to the misfortune we had so lately escaped! Escaped indeed we had not till we were again in an open sea…
    6 July—Set out today with the second lieutenant resolved to go a good way up the river and see if the country inland differed from that near the shore. We went for about three leagues among mangroves, then we got into the country which differed very little from