Page:Enterprise and Adventure.djvu/178

---

the remains of their awning which had been torn away, and to recover from the anxiety in which they had been constantly kept since dawn. Starting again in the afternoon somewhat refreshed, the men looked anxiously on ahead, for a singular change in the river had filled them with the notion that they were approaching its termination. On a sudden it took a southern direction, but in its tortuous course swept round to every point of the compass with the greatest irregularity. The explorers were carried at a fearful rate between its gloomy and now contracted banks, and had little time to observe the country through which they were advancing. Suddenly Hopkinson called out that they were approaching a junction, and in less than a minute afterwards they were hurried out into a broad and noble river. Thus was discovered the River Murray. "It is impossible (says Sturt) for me to describe the effect of so instantaneous a change of circumstances upon us. The boats were allowed to drift along at pleasure, and such was the force with which we had been shot out of the Morumbidgee, that we were carried nearly to the bank opposite its embouchure, whilst we continued to gaze in silent astonishment on the capacious channel we had entered; and when we looked for that by which we had been led into it, we could hardly believe that the insignificant gap that presented itself to us was, indeed, the termination of the beautiful and noble stream, whose course we had thus successfully followed. I can only compare the relief we experienced to that which the seaman feels on weathering the rock upon which he expected his vessel would have struck, to the calm which succeeds moments of feverish