One day I saw a number of small snakes swarming round the foot of a tree, and was just about to knock some of them over with my stick, when Yamba called out to me excitedly not to molest them.They then began to climb the tree, and she explained that this clearly indicated the advent of the wet season."I did not wish you to kill the snakes," she said, "because I wanted to see if they would take refuge in the trees from the coming floods."Up to this time, however, there had not been the slightest indication of any great change in the weather.Many months must have elapsed since rain had fallen in these regions, for the river was extremely low between its extraordinarily high banks, and the country all round was dry and parched; but even as we walked, a remarkable phenomenon occurred, which told of impending changes.Iwas oppressed with a sense of coming evil.I listened intently when Yamba requested me to do so, but at first all I could hear was a curious rumbling sound, far away in the distance.This noise gradually increased in volume, and came nearer and nearer, but still I was utterly unable to account for it.I also noticed that the river was becoming strangely agitated, and was swirling along at ever-increasing speed.Suddenly an enormous mass of water came rushing down with a frightful roar, in one solid wave, and then it dawned upon me that it must have already commenced raining in the hills, and the tributaries of the river were now sending down their floods into the main stream, which was rising with astonishing rapidity.In the course of a couple of hours it had risen between thirty and forty feet.Yamba seemed a little anxious, and suggested that we had better build a hut on some high ground and remain secure in that locality, without attempting to continue our march while the rains lasted; and it was evident they were now upon us.
We therefore set to work to construct a comfortable little shelter of bark, fastened to a framework of poles by means of creepers and climbing plants.Thus, by the time the deluge was fairly upon us, we were quite snugly ensconced.We did not, however, remain in-doors throughout the whole of the day, but went in and out, hunting for food and catching game just as usual; the torrential rain which beat down upon our naked bodies being rather a pleasant experience than otherwise.At this time we had a welcome addition to our food in the form of cabbage-palms and wild honey.We also started building a catamaran, with which to navigate the river when the floods had subsided.Yamba procured a few trunks of very light timber, and these we fastened together with long pins of hardwood, and then bound them still more firmly together with strips of kangaroo hide.We also collected a stock of provisions to take with us--kangaroo and opossum meat, of course; but principally wild honey, cabbage-palm, and roots of various kinds.These preparations took us several days, and by the time we had arranged everything for our journey the weather had become settled once more.Yamba remarked to me that if we simply drifted down the Roper River we should be carried to the open sea; nor would we be very long, since the swollen current was now running like a mill-race.Our catamaran, of course, afforded no shelter of any kind, but we carried some sheets of bark to form seats for ourselves and the dog.
At length we pushed off on our eventful voyage, and no sooner had we got fairly into the current than we were carried along with prodigious rapidity, and without the least exertion on our part, except in the matter of steering.This was done by means of paddles from the side of the craft.We made such rapid progress that I felt inclined to go on all night, but shortly after dusk Yamba persuaded me to pull in-shore and camp on the bank until morning, because of the danger of travelling at night among the logs and other wreckage that floated about on the surface of the water.
We passed any number of submerged trees, and on several of these found snakes coiled among the branches.Some of these reptiles we caught and ate.About the middle of the second day we heard a tremendous roar ahead, as though there were rapids in the bed of the river.It was now impossible to pull the catamaran out of its course, no matter how hard we might have striven, the current being absolutely irresistible.The banks narrowed as the rapids were reached, with the result that the water in the middle actually became CONVEX, so tremendous was the rush in that narrow gorge.
Yamba cried out to me to lie flat on the catamaran, and hold on as tightly as I could until we reached smooth water again.This she did herself, seizing hold of the dog also.
Nearer and nearer we were swept to the great seething caldron of boiling and foaming waters, and at last, with a tremendous splash we entered the terrifying commotion.We went right under, and so great was the force of the water, that had I not been clinging tenaciously to the catamaran I must infallibly have been swept away to certain death.Presently, however, we shot into less troubled waters and then continued our course, very little the worse for having braved these terrible rapids.Had our craft been a dug-out boat, as I originally intended it to be, we must inevitably have been swamped.Again we camped on shore that night, and were off at an early hour next morning.As we glided swiftly on, I noticed that the river seemed to be growing tremendously wide.Yamba explained that we were now getting into very flat country, and therefore the great stretch of water was a mere flood.She also prophesied a rather bad time for us, as we should not be able to go ashore at night and replenish our stock of provisions.Fortunately we had a sufficient supply with us on the catamaran to last at least two or three days longer.The last time we landed Yamba had stocked an additional quantity of edible roots and smoked meats, and although we lost a considerable portion of these in shooting the rapids, there still remained enough for a few days' supply.
