NARRATIVE OF MR. CARRON. 189 



been committed^ and it was found necessary to watch 

 the provisions nig-ht and day. Mr. Kennedy was 

 anxious to discover the thief in this instance^ as it 

 was stolen in open dayhght while Mr. Kennedy 

 himself was keeping- a look-out in his tent, not 

 twenty yards from where the provisions were stolen 5 

 everj^ man's load was searched, but in vain, and Mr. 

 Kennedy, knowing- that a party left the camp for 

 the purpose of fishing* a short distance up the river, 

 and another party a few yards down the river to 

 wash some clothes — took Jackey with him, who, 

 by detecting* some crumbs on the g*round, discovered 

 that the damper had been eaten at the place where 

 the clothes were washed. 



So careless were some of the party of the fatal 

 consequences of our provisions being* consumed 

 before we arrived at Cape York, that as soon as we 

 camped and the horses were unpacked, it was 

 necessary that all the provisions should be deposited 

 tog*ether on a tarpaulin, and that I should be near 

 them by day and by nig*ht, so that I could not leave 

 the camp at all, unless Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Wall 

 undertook to watch the stores. I was oblig-ed to 

 watch the food whilst cooking* ; it was taken out of 

 the boiler in the presence of myself and two or three 

 others, and placed in the stores till morning*. 



It was seldom that I could g*o to bed before nine 

 or ten o'clock at nig*ht, and I had to be up at four 

 in the morning- to see our tea made and sweetened, 

 and our breakfast served out by daj^lig-ht. The 



