NARRATIVE OF MR. CARRON. 147 



tract, " that a better road mig-lit have been found, 

 a little to the rig-ht or to the left." Such observa- 

 tions were the more unjust and vexatious, as in all 

 matters of difficulty and opinion, he would invariably 

 listen to the advice of all, and if he thoug'ht it pru- 

 dent, take it. For my own part, I can safely say, 

 that I was alwa3^s ready to obey his orders, and 

 conform to his du'ections, confident as I then was 

 of his abilities to lead us to the place of our desti- 

 nation as speedily as possible. 



Ju7ie 2Srd. — We started early this morning-, and 

 proceeded along* the beach till we came to a small 

 river, which was narrow and shallow, but the bottom 

 being" muddy, and it being- low water, we diverg'ed 

 towards the sea, where the sand was firmer, and 

 there crossed it with little difficulty, without un- 

 loading* the pack-horses or carts. The tide runs but 

 a short distance up this river, and as far as the tide 

 g-oes it is fringed with a belt of mang-roves. The 

 banks are muddy, and so soft that a man sinks up 

 to his knees in walking- along- them. A little above 

 the mano-roves the river divides into several small 

 creeks, in swampy g-round, covered with small mela- 

 leucas so thickly, that althoug'h they are not at 

 all bushy below, but have straig-ht trunks of from 

 three to five inches in diameter, and from ten to 

 twenty feet high, a man can scarcely walk between 

 them. 



After crossing this river we again turned inland 

 for a short distance, and camped by the side of a 



L 2 



