Australia Twice Traversed, Illustrated, by Ernest Giles
page 68 of 676 (10%)
page 68 of 676 (10%)
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advance. Neither of these effects was produced, so their next idea was
to depart themselves, and they ran ahead of us up the glen. I also saw another lot of some twenty or thirty scudding away over the rocks and stony hills--these were probably the women and children. Passing their last night's encampment, we saw that they had left all their valuables behind them--these we left untouched. One old gentleman sought the security of a shield of rock, where this villain upon earth and fiend in upper air most vehemently apostrophised us, and probably ordered us away out of his territory. To the command in itself we paid little heed, but as it fell in with our own ideas, we endeavoured to carry it out as fast as possible. This, I trust, was satisfactory, as I always like to do what pleases others, especially when it coincides with my own views. "It's a very fine thing, and delightful to see Inclination and duty both join and agree." Some of the natives near him threatened us with their spears, and waved knobbed sticks at us, but we departed without any harm being done on either side. (ILLUSTRATION: THE PALM-TREE FOUND IN THE GLEN OF PALMS.) Soon after leaving the natives, we had the gratification of discovering a magnificent specimen of the Fan palm, a species of Livistona, allied to one in the south of Arnhem's Land, and now distinguished as the Maria Palm (Baron von Mueller), growing in the channel of the watercourse with flood drifts against its stem. Its dark-hued, dome-shaped frondage contrasted strangely with the paler green foliage of the eucalyptus trees that surrounded it. It was a |
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