m with
frequent snags, and often heavy masses of fallen timber, still adhering
to the earth at its roots, and thus preserving its vitality, and
flourishing with all the luxuriance of a primitive tropical forest,
covered the only part of the channel where the water was deep enough to
admit of the passage of their canoe. Thus they toiled on day by day,
often getting out into the water to help their vessel over shallows, or
to pick up the ducks that Gerstaecker shot, which furnished the only meat
for their daily meals. Cloudy or fair, cold or warm, rain or sunshine,
found Gerstaecker still in the same flow of spirits, and the notes of his
daily experiences show him bearing ill-luck almost as gaily as good.
After they had gone some 400 miles, however, their journey by the river
came to a sudden end by the oversetting of their canoe, and the loss of
almost all their equipments. Gerstaecker saved his rifle and the
ammunition that was upon his person; but the remaining powder was
spoiled, and the provisions and part of the blankets and clothing were
carried away by the current. The canoe sunk, but by holding upon the
rope as they jumped out upon the overhanging trunks of trees, the
voyagers succeeded in dragging it up again, and freeing it from water.
Then one of them dived to the bottom, and managed to bring up the
frying-pan and tea-canister. They also recovered part of their blankets,
and then, with the frying-pan for their sole paddle, renewed their
voyage till they found a good camping-place, where they built a roaring
fire to dry themselves, and finally discovered that in the operations of
the day each had utterly ruined his shoes, so that they were afterwards
forced to go barefoot. In this way they continued for some days,
paddling with their frying-pan, and going ashore to get a duck
occasionally shot by Gerstaecker. This was often exceedingly painful,
from the stubble of the grass along the banks, burnt over by fires
accidentally set by the natives. Luckily, through the whole they did not
come in contact with the savages at all. At last they reached a
settlement, where they swapped their canoe for a couple pair of shoes,
and started on foot for the rest of the way. Gerstaecker had for some
time desired to get rid of his companion, who was wilful, and by no
means a helper in their difficulties. They now came to Woolshed, a place
180 miles distant from Melbourne, whence there were two roads to their
destination; the one