FROM THE PALMER TO THE PASCOE 223 



to ride. The party had left Rockingham Bay with a 6 ft. by 8 ft. 

 tent for Kennedy and two large tents and a small round one for 

 the others. 



It is doubtful, from the wording of Carron's narrative, whether 

 the party left camp on the ist and 2nd November. One more 

 horse was killed, leaving fifteen. 



Very little progress was made on yd November, the party having 

 had to cut through scrub intersected by deep gullies and rocky 

 hills. In the afternoon they reached " a small river, with very 

 uneven rocky bottom, running southerly," with a rapid current 

 swollen by a recent rainfall. There can be no doubt that this was 

 the upper portion of the PASCOE RIVER, the only stream with a 

 southerly fall in these parts. (Here I crossed his track, in 1880, 

 between my Camps 31 and 32, and again between Camps 32 and 33.) 

 The Pascoe, it may be remarked, has a singular course. Rising in 

 the centre of the Janet Range, it first runs south- south- east and 

 south for 14 miles, then west for 20 miles, due north for 1 6 miles, 

 north-east for 17 miles, and finally east for 10 miles, when it falls 

 into Wey mouth Bay. 



On reaching the Pascoe, five of the horses, including the one 

 carrying CARRON'S BOTANICAL SPECIMENS AND SEEDS, fell in crossing 

 the river, but the specimens were recovered. The night's camp was 

 in a thick bamboo scrub by the side of the river, the HORSES being 



TIED TO TREES. 



On the qth November, the camp was not moved. Jackey-Jackey 

 climbed a hill and saw grass ahead, and shot a cassowary. Mr. 

 Wall failed to preserve the skin " properly." Greater misfortunes 

 were to follow. 



While admiring the persistency with which the botanist and 

 naturalist kept their object before them, one cannot help wonder- 

 ing whether they had not lost all sense of proportion. To load 

 even a single horse with specimens at the same time that they were 

 daily throwing away the necessaries of life seems a questionable 

 proceeding. 



On $th November, the camp was moved to the hill from which 

 Jackey-Jackey had seen the grass, and another horse was killed, 

 leaving fourteen. A halt was made at this hill on 6th November, 

 and two more horses were killed, leaving twelve. The condition 

 of the remaining horses, which had, apparently, not eaten for four 

 days, may be imagined. 



On jth and Stb November, travelling over " very rough rocky 

 ground, intersected with gullies and belts of scrub, the head of the 

 PASCOE l was reached. 



On yth November, starting without breakfast, having had no 



1 This river was afterwards named in honour of Lieutenant Pascoe, the officer in 

 command of the party of marines who arrived at Somerset on 25th March, 1863. 

 R. L. J. 



