210 NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA 



BEHIND. While it is impossible to withhold our admiration for 

 the tenacity of purpose with which he clung to his original plan, it 

 is to be deplored that he was not convinced of its hopelessness till 

 forty days of incessant work and worry had taken the heart out of 

 man and beast. Certainly the horses never recovered from the 

 strain which had been put upon them at the beginning of the 

 journey. 



The i$th and ijtb July were devoted to rearranging the load 

 for transport on pack-saddles, a crosscut saw, pickaxes and various 

 other articles being left behind ; among them Carron specially 

 lamented his specimen-box. Sunday the i6th was given to rest 

 and prayers. 



On iSth July, the company set out in the new order, " rejoic- 

 ing," says Carron, " to have got rid of one great impediment to 

 our progress." He adds : " The BLACKS regarded us with curious 

 interest as we proceeded on our way, forming a train of twenty-six 

 horses, followed by the sheep, and Mitchell occasionally sounding 

 a horn he had brought with him." Little wonder that the blacks 

 were impressed by this outburst of innocent merriment ! But for 

 the absence of a score or so of banners, it might have been a Chinese 

 procession. Carron records that the SHEEP had by this time grown 

 very thin and poor. " They had, however, become so habituated 

 to following the horses that they cost us very little trouble in 

 driving them." Thus is the wind tempered to the shorn lamb ! 

 On this day, after travelling about 6 miles (presumably NNW.) 

 through open forest land, the party camped near a creek on the 

 edge of a thick scrub. 



For four days, from the iqth to the 22nd July, the march was 

 continued over mountainous country, with numerous belts of 

 SCRUB, which had to be cut. Considering the sheep, the scrub, 

 the steep gullies and the inevitable windings, the rate of progress 

 may be estimated at 3 miles per day. SUNDAY, the 23^, was 

 devoted to REST AND PRAYERS. 



On 2^th July, similar country was passed through, with oc- 

 casional patches of open forest, and the CAMP was pitched by a creek 

 running to the north. One HORSE, which had fallen lame, was shot. 

 This would leave twenty-five. A tribe of friendly NATIVES visited 

 the camp. The creek was found to be one of two branches of a 

 river running to the south-east, the other running east, possibly 

 BEAR CREEK and DAVIDSON CREEK, affluents of the TULLY RIVER. 



2$tb July. The party went up the creek (NW.) for 3 miles, 

 having much scrub to cut, and crossed the creek ; here several 

 horses fell among granite boulders. Unable to get out of the 

 scrub before dark, the party CAMPED and the horses were tied up 

 for the night. The next day is not accounted for by Carron. 

 Probably it was spent in hacking through the scrub for a short 

 distance. 



