Page:Narrative of a survey of the intertropical and western coasts of Australia, Volume 1.djvu/471

 ,coxre Or.AUS'reAUL,,.. .409 'prudent, if possible, to keep the boat afloat, one eao. of the men-was stationed in.her for that purpose; Set  but, overpowered by fatigue, he fell asleep and the boat in a short time was lef dry upon the mud; the party on shore were continually disturbed during the night, .by what was thong]xt to be the rushing of alli�rs into the water beneth them, but the noise was webably occasioned .by stones nd .lumps. of mud falling into it es the tide ebbed; a splash, however, that they heard on the. opposite sid e was very lil/ely an alligator,.for they had seen one swimming as they .pulled up the river. On hearing this, Mr. Roe became very much.alarmed on account of the boat-keeper but no pains to apprize him of his danger had any ef- fect: the only. reply that could be got from him was, "Damn the alligators," and the next moment he was asleep again; fortunately for him no alligator came near enough to make him repent his fool- hardy insensibility. The width of the stream at low-water, .which was quite salt, was not more tMu twenty-five �feet.' When.the flood commenced, it came in so rapidly that the water rose five feet in ten mi- nutes: altogether it rose twenty-ibur feet; but drift-.wood and dead branches cg trees were noticed among the rocks, at least fourteen feet above the ordinary high-water mark, indicating,

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