SECOND NORTHERN CRUISE 261 



Granting that one of the possibilities of the situation was that 

 the exploring party had been lost, and that another was that they 

 had been compelled to abandon their intention of making for Cape 

 York, there still remained a third, viz., that they had made for 

 the coast in the hope of signalling the ship which had been ordered 

 to meet them at Cape York on her return voyage, or of being picked 

 up by some other vessel. Yule had, no doubt, technically obeyed 

 orders when he waited in Princess Charlotte Bay and at Cape 

 York for Kennedy, who did not keep his appointment ; but he 

 might have been expected not to have lost sight of the third 

 possibility, and to have kept a look out as he passed southward 

 within sight of the coast. He may, indeed, have done so, and I 

 have already pointed out that Carron's flagstaff was not planted 

 in the most commanding position. It must also be admitted that 

 on the afternoon of 1st January the declining sun in the look out's 

 eyes may have prevented him seeing the signal flag as he scanned 

 the shore, and that the noise of the pistol shots might not carry 

 far, as " the wind was blowing strong from the south-east " ; but 

 the fires and rockets might have attracted attention during the 

 night. At the judicial investigation held in Sydney on 6th March, 

 1849 (the day after the arrival of the " Ariel " with the survivors), 

 Lieutenant Yule was not called upon to give evidence, as he would 

 almost certainly have been had he been on the spot. His account 

 of the " Bramble's " traverse of Weymouth Bay might have been 

 of material value as a commentary on Carron's narrative. The 

 " Rattlesnake " was in Sydney from 24th January to 8th May, 

 1849, and MacGillivray makes no mention of the arrival of the 

 " Bramble" which probably came no further south than Moreton 

 Bay, where she was joined by the " Rattlesnake " on ijth May. 



3. THIRD NORTHERN CRUISE 



The " Rattlesnake" which left SYDNEY on 8tb May, picked 

 up the " Bramble " in Moreton Bay nine days later. On 26th May, 

 the two ships sailed for the LOUISIADE ARCHIPELAGO and NEW 

 GUINEA. On 2jth September, they left New Guinea for Cape 

 York to meet a vessel which was to bring them supplies from 

 Sydney. Next day they anchored off BRAMBLE CAY. (SEE MAP A.) 

 By STEPHENS' and CAMPBELL'S ISLANDS, they went to MARSDEN 

 ISLAND, where they anchored on 29th September. Here the 

 " Bramble " left the " Rattlesnake" to call at the BOOBY ISLAND 

 post office. The " Rattlesnake" sailing via ARDEN and COCO- 

 NUT ISLANDS, reached EVANS BAY, Cape York, on 1st October, 

 and was rejoined by the " Bramble" Yule reported that the 

 boats of an American whaler lost on the Alert Reef, outside the 

 Barrier, had arrived at Booby Island, and their crews had been 

 saved from starvation by the provisions deposited there. 



