FROM THE PALMER TO THE PASCOE 221 



10 minutes too far east, as the river was crossed 12 or 14 miles 

 from the sea, where the water was only brackish. 



During the midday halt on loth October, the party were visited 

 by a large number of NATIVES, including women, who had been 

 collecting the fruit of the nondah. When the march was resumed, 

 says Carron, " the natives followed us at some distance, continually 

 THROWING SPEARS after us for some time : one was thrown into 

 the thigh of a horse, but, fortunately, not being barbed, was taken 

 out, and the horse was not much injured. We then rode after 

 them in two or three directions, and FIRED at them, when they 

 left us, and we saw no more of them." 



On the n th 9 when halting in a place where there was no 

 water, the travellers were visited by NATIVES, who, in exchange for 

 fish-hooks, brought water in bark vessels, and left quietly. 



I am unable to place Kennedy's camps between the 9th and 

 2Oth of October, but it is evident that he must have travelled 

 north-north-west and kept as close to the west coast of PRINCESS 

 CHARLOTTE BAY as the mangroves and salt-water creeks and swamps 

 permitted. In all probability, from the ANNIE to the STEWART 

 RIVER, his route was near perhaps a little west of that followed 

 by William Hann on his " home " trip, 5th to 8th September, 

 1872, between his camps Nos. 32 and 35. (SEE MAP C.) 



On lyh October, a last unsuccessful attempt was made to 

 penetrate the mangroves to the beach. It may be surmised that 

 this was somewhere near the latitude of the Rattlesnake Reefs. 

 H.M.S. " Bramble " was to have been in Princess Charlotte Bay 

 in the beginning of August, and Kennedy was satisfied that the 

 ship must have come and gone, and that relief was no longer to 

 be expected. 



On the i$th (Sunday), there were "prayers as usual at II 

 o'clock," and the sugar was finished. Next day (\6tti) a horse 

 which fell into a rocky water-hole was killed and his flesh was dried 

 in the sun. This left sixteen horses, for the most part too exhausted 

 to carry loads, and the horses were now driven on chiefly for food. 

 One tent and other useless articles of baggage were left behind. 



In the four days, i6th to 2Oth October, the march continued 

 across the creeks which drain the eastern side of the MC!LWRAITH 

 RANGE, including the valleys of the Rocky River, Scrubby Creek 

 and Chester River, which now form the ROCKY RIVER GOLDFIELD. 

 It is noted on the I9th that " several of our horses were now quite 

 unable to carry anything but the saddle." On the following day 

 the party " passed over a piece of stiff ground about two miles in 

 extent, which appeared to have been the scene of a devastating 

 HURRICANE. The ground was covered with fallen timber, which 

 rendered it very difficult to cross. The wind must have swept 

 from the south-west to the north-east, and from the appearance 

 of the saplings which were growing from the stumps of some of 



