STATEN RIVER TO JARDINE RIVER 321 



At night the horses had to be short-hobbled, and a watch kept over them. The 

 weather kept fine, raising the hopes of the Leader of getting in before the rains." 

 (CAMP 72.) 



A clear night permitted of a star being taken, and the latitude 

 of the camp is given as 11 46' 36" S. This I take to be about 

 3' 30" too far south. 



igth January. In similar " ABOMINABLE COUNTRY," boggy 

 creeks had to be headed, and capsized horses had to be set on their 

 feet again and again, and only about 8 miles of northing were 

 gained. CAMP 73 was on the head of a small creek running to the 

 east, and the WATERSHED OF THE PENINSULA had been crossed at 

 last. Late in the afternoon, after the camp had been pitched, the 

 Brothers saw SHELBURNE BAY from trees which they had climbed 

 in search of the honeycomb of the native bee. 



20th January. After having pushed on for 2 miles northward 

 through brushwood and scrub, the travellers were confronted with 

 a dense PINE-AND-VINE SCRUB. After some delay, a NATIVE TRACK 

 was found and followed through the scrub for 2 miles further, 

 when it was found that the tangle of scrub and vine ropes was 

 more than the cattle could face. The native track was therefore 

 retraced, and half a mile was made to the east, to a point whence 

 Shelburne Bay was distinctly visible. Thence a stony spur of the 

 range was followed down and the party camped on a small creek 

 running east. (CAMP 74. ) The total distance covered was estimated 

 at 9 miles, and the actual northing at a mile and a half. Quoting 

 from the Leader's diary, Byerley observes that the tracks of NATIVES 

 were very numerous on this day's journey, " and it was evident by 

 the neat cutting of the marks on the trees that they were provided 

 with good IRON TOMAHAWKS. Many TURKEYS' NESTS were found, 

 but the eggs only benefited the stronger stomachs of the party, 

 having young ones in them in most cases." 



From a point near Camp 74, Richardson got a prismatic compass 



bearing of 117 to CAPE GRENVILLE and thus determined the 



position of the camp with some approach to accuracy. [My camp 



51 (ist March, 1880), must have been practically on the same spot. 



-R. L. J.] 



It is a coincidence, although, considering the nature of the 

 country, by no means a " remarkable " one, that in this region the 

 THREE PARTIES which were making for Cape York, Kennedy's (by 

 this time reduced to himself and a black boy), the Jardines' and my 

 own, each HAD TO DOUBLE BACK and search for a new opening. 



From their 74th almost to their 76th Camps, the track of the 

 Brothers was east of mine, and west of Kennedy's, mine being on 

 the western and the Jardines' and Kennedy's on the eastern side of 

 the watershed. Kennedy's and mine could not have been more 

 than 2 miles apart. 



I 21 



