Australian Search Party | Page 5

strike the blacks would be the facilities for
concealment afforded by Gould or Garden Islands, more particularly
had they any captives; and they would say to themselves that we should

certainly overlook these two out-of-the-way little spots; and when we
were busy on Hinchinbrook, they could easily paddle themselves and
their prisoners to some of the more distant chain of islands, where they
could lie by until all fear of pursuit was past. Such was the opinion both
of the troopers and of the experienced bushmen; and as we were fully
resolved to leave them no loophole for escape, we jumped into our boat
and pulled gently over to Garden Island.
It was about seven o'clock in the morning when we started, six strong --
four whites, and Cato, and Ferdinand -- well armed, and with a good
supply of provisions. The sun was already very hot, and the water
smooth as glass, save where the prow of the boat broke the still surface
into a tiny ripple, which continued plainly visible half a mile astern. I
find it difficult to bring before the reader the thousand curious objects
that met us on our way. The sullen crocodile basking in the sun, sank
noiselessly; a splash would be heard, and a four feet albicore would
fling himself madly into the air, striving vainly to elude the ominous
black triangle that cut the water like a knife close in his rear. Small
chance for the poor fugitive, with the ravenous shark following silent
and inexorable. We lay on our oars and watched the result. The hunted
fish doubles, springs aloft, and dives down, but all in vain; the black fin
is not to be thrown off, double as he may. Anon the springs become
more feeble, the pursuer's tail partly appears as he pushes forward with
redoubled vigour, a faint splash is heard, the waters curl into an eddy,
and the monster sinks noiselessly to enjoy his breakfast in the cooler
depths beneath. And now we come to a sand bank running out some
miles or so into the bay, and on which the water is less than three
fathoms. Here the surface is broken by huge black objects, coming
clumsily to the top, shooting out a jet of spray, and again disappearing.
We let the boat glide gently along until she rests motionless above the
bank, and stooping over the side with our faces close to the water, and
sheltered by our hands, we can peer down into the placid depths, and
see the huge animals grazing on the submarine vegetation with which
their favourite feeding-place is thickly overgrown. But what animal is
he talking about? the reader will ask. It is the dugong ('Halicore
Australis'), or sea-cow, from whence is extracted an oil equal to the
cod-liver as regards its medicinal qualities, and far superior to it in one
great essential, for instead of a nauseous disagreeable flavour, it tastes

quite pleasantly. It frequents the whole of the north-eastern coast of
Australia, and when the qualities of the oil first became known, it was
eagerly sought after by invalids who could not overcome their
repugnance to the cod-liver nastiness. The fishermen, however, spoilt
their own market, for greed induced them to adulterate the new
medicine with shark oil, and all kinds of other abominations, so that the
faculty were never quite certain what they were pouring down the
throats of their unhappy patients. Thus the oil lost its good name,
though I am convinced from personal observation that fresh, pure
dugong is quite equal, if not superior, in nourishing qualities to
cod-liver oil, and do not doubt that a time will come when it will enter
largely into the Pharmacopoeia. The animal itself is so peculiar, that a
brief description of it may not be here amiss. Its favourite haunts are
bays into which streams empty themselves, and where the water is from
two to five fathoms in depth, feeding on the 'Algae' of the submerged
banks, for which purpose the upper lip is very large, thick, and as it
turns down suddenly at right angles with the head, it much resembles
an elephant's trunk shorn off at the mouth. Its length averages from
eight to fourteen feet; there is no dorsal fin, and the tail is horizontal;
colour blue, and white beneath. Its means of propulsion are two paddles,
with which it also crawls along the bottom, and beneath which are
situated the udders, with teats exactly like a cow's. Its flesh is far from
bad, resembling lean beef in appearance, though hardly so good to the
taste, and the skin can be manufactured into gelatine. I have often
wondered that this most useful animal was not oftener captured. A
fishing establishment with a good boat, a trained crew, and