NARRATIVE OF MR. CARRON. 203 



was brackish. We attempted to go tliroiig'h some 

 mangToves to the beach^ but did not succeed. 



Oct. IS^A.—Jacke}^^ Taylor^ and myself took 

 three horses^ and tried to g'et to the beach more to 

 the northward than yesterday. We passed throug'h 

 a belt of mangToves^ where the ground was pretty 

 firm^ the tide coming" up only occasionallj^ ; we then 

 proceeded along* a sandy ridg-e to the northward^ 

 when we found it succeeded by a salt water lag'oon^ 

 surrounded by salsolaceous plants and mang-roves^ 

 which it was impossible to g'et throug-h. We 

 returned to our camp, and here Mr. Kennedy aban- 

 doned the thoug'ht of g'oing* to the beach^ as he felt 

 sure H.M.S. Bramble (which was to have met us at 

 the beginning- of Aug'ust) would have g'one ; our 

 journey having* occupied so much long*er time than 

 we could have possibly anticipated. This considera- 

 tion^ combined with the g-reat difficulty which seemed 

 likely to ensue in obtaining* water and feed for our 

 horses^ determined him to take a different direction. 



Oct. 15th. — We had prayers as usual this day^ 

 being* Sunday, at 11 o'clock; to-day we finished 

 the consumption of all our sug'ar^ except a very 

 small quantit}"^ which was reserved for any j^articu- 

 lar case of sickness. 



Oct. IGth. — This morning a horse fell into a rocky 

 water-hole, and finding* it impossible to g*et him out 

 alive, we killed him, and cured the flesh as before, 

 dr^dng* it in the sun on a stag*e ; the blood, heart, 

 and liver furnished us with a g-ood day's food. Our 



