16 THE JARDINES' EXPEDITION 



turkeys' nests were found, but, although they welcomed 

 foal's flesh as a delicacy, few of them were equal to turkeys' 

 eggs in which the young were well advanced ! The next 

 five days were but a repetition of tne preceding ones, bad 

 sciubby country without grass, inteisected by deep water- 

 courses which were then full of rushing stream.s : dense 

 vine scrubs through which a track had to be cleared for 

 the stock ; miserable camping places, and pouring showers 

 of rain day and night. On 26th January, they came upon 

 a river which they took for the Escape ; it was in flood 

 at the time, and 50 yards w^ide ; following it down 7 or 8 

 miles they came upon an equally large branch which joins 

 it from the south-east, and named it the Mc Henry. Thi.?^ 

 too, was in flood, and they camped a))out a mile above the 

 junction. This day their sugar was exjiausted, buo the;y 

 hoped they were not more than 30 miles from the new 

 settlement, Somerset, and did not mind very much. 



On the morning of 27th January, they swam the 

 cattle over the McHenry without trouble ; the saddles, 

 packs, etc., had to be carried on the heads of the best 

 swimmers, and the day's march was exceptionally tedious. 

 Following the stream down to its junction with what they 

 mistook for the Esca]:)e. they had to swim most of the 

 creeks for the rain continued without cessation. Below 

 the junction was a large vine scrub so dense that they had 

 to skirt it, the combined streams being now 100 yards 

 in width, and all the creeks and gullies which fell into it 

 w^ere fringed with scrub ; 5 miles was the extent of their 

 day's march. Following on down the course of the river, 

 the flooded creeks and their scrubby lining made travelling 

 most difiicult ; they therefore struck westwards hoping to 

 find an easier route ; but they were again disappointed, 

 and turning towards the river they struck it in about 7 

 miles. Further down by about 4 miles, making 12 miles 

 for the day, they camped on the river bank. It had rained 

 all day and here the stream was 150 yards wide. They 

 killed a lame heifer, and cut up the flesh for jerking. Two 

 horses were left utterly knocked up, but these were brought 

 in on the next day, whicli was observed as " a rest day." 

 The stores were overhauled, and it was found that the 

 greater part had rotted from constant exposure to the 

 damp. Mr. Richardson here plotted up the route, and 



