another pass, which Lizzie showed us. I must not forget to mention one
ludicrous circumstance, which convulsed us with laughter. The gins showed
such curiosity about Lizzie's pipe, that she handed it round and made them
each take a puff. Their expressions, when the pungent smoke caused them
either to sneeze, cough, or choke, were most laughable; and I have no doubt
that it is still a matter of wonder to them, and a fruitful source of
debate over the camp-fires, what pleasure the white man can find in filling
his mouth with smoke, apparently with no better object than to puff it out
again as soon as possible. Our course now lay due south, and the
travelling was much the same as in the morning, that is to say, as bad and
as fatiguing as it well could be. Lizzie said she could take us to another
bay, where there were sure to be more blacks; and so we trudged patiently
along under her guidance, with the sun blazing down so fiercely that the
carbine-barrels became quite heated. Our new path was very similar to the
last one, seeming to come to an abrupt termination, but really shooting off
at an angle, and leading down to a bay, which opened out to our view about
five o'clock, and did not present nearly so pretty an appearance as the one
we had just left, for the ground seemed swampy, and the beach was a nasty
muddy mangrove-flat. We were also disappointed in not finding any blacks;
but as there is nothing so bad that it has not some redeeming quality, so
this dreary-looking swamp had its advantages, for the trees were loaded
with Torres Straits' pigeons, and sea-crabs were abundant. This would
enable us to lay in an extra day's provisions, and to extend our search, if
necessary, before visiting the 'Daylight', from which vessel we were now
separated by more than twenty miles of unknown country, inclusive of a
mountainous range. We determined not to shoot any pigeons that night, for
they would only keep the less time; and having lit our fire by the side of
a small creek, we had supper, and were soon sleeping the sleep of the
weary, the watch having instructions to call us at an early hour for the
purpose of replenishing our larder before the birds took their departure