DALRYMPLE'S EXPEDITION 423 



we had got up, and camped at the foot of the cliffs. Here the last of our straggling 

 mates came up, and they had the laugh on us, saying we had had 8 miles more 

 walking than they had, and it served us right for being so smart. 



" Sunday was a day of rest, but Messrs. Macmillan and St. George rode about 



10 miles out and found the ' bend ' of the Kennedy. A mate named Tom Lynett 

 and I went back to Pine Tree Creek, where I had seen fish, and took my kangaroo dog 

 with us. We caught nine small fish, but that was nothing compared to the big 

 kangaroo that we bagged with the help of the dog. He was so heavy that it was hard 

 work getting him back to the camp, but when we came in sight with our burden all 

 hands ran out to welcome and help us and overwhelmed us with affection, falling over 

 one another and almost falling on our necks. I never saw such willing and enthusiastic 

 co-operation as there was in skinning, dressing and cooking the meat. There was 

 enough to let everybody in the camp more than 100 men have a bit. Rations 

 were getting very short by this time. 



" On Monday, loth November, we went on, north and west, to the KENNEDY 

 BEND, which we reached at noon. We ran the Kennedy up for 4 or 5 miles to 

 the west, to where it turns south. There were many blacks in the sandy river bed, 

 and they ran off to the hills as we came in sight. We camped on the river about two 

 o'clock. I fished for the rest of the day, but caught nothing. Here the river splits 

 into three branches, one of which retains the name of the Kennedy, while the other 

 two were named Emu Creek and St. George. [Emu Creek now appears on the map 

 as Kavanagh Creek. R. L. J.] A lot of BLACKS were shot while we were at this camp. 

 I do not know why, as they had not interfered with us. I saw three bodies in the 

 water of the St. George, and I heard shooting while I was fishing. Some of the diggers 

 brought two gins and three piccaninnies into the camp. The gins had in their possession 

 a looking-glass, a razor and the HAIR OF A WHITE MAN, besides two papers which proved 

 to refer to the sale of a horse to a man of the name of Leahey. It was supposed that 

 this man was one of the diggers from the Etheridge, who had been killed by the blacks 

 on the Palmer. 



" On Tuesday, nth November^ we went a day's stage to the south, up the KENNEDY 

 RIVER, which was dry. We had to dig in the sand for water when we camped at night, 

 and it took the Government party most of the night to water their horses. Next 

 morning (i2//>) we headed the river and got across the divide, coming down about 



1 1 a.m. off the ' Conglomerate ' tableland to the valley of a big river, which the 

 leaders judged (correctly) to be the PALMER. It ran from east to west and we crossed 

 and camped on the south side. By this time we were very SHORT indeed OF FOOD. 

 My mates and I had come down to a limited allowance of ' bango,' i.e., boiled flour 

 and sugar, so no time was lost in going a-foraging, some fishing and some shooting. 

 After dinner, Messrs. Macmillan and St. George went 4 miles up the river to a 

 hill (which proved to be Hann's MOUNT DAINTREE) to look out, but they saw no sign 

 of diggers. The first evidence of the presence of white men we saw was tracks 

 of four horses in the sand of the river, going down. Afterwards we learned that 

 the horses belonged to some diggers who had left the Palmer for Normanton. 



" Next day (13^), Mr. St. George rode 20 miles down the river, but saw nothing. 

 Mr. Macmillan went about 12 miles up and found diggers at work. In the evening 

 he returned to our camp, accompanied by Inspector Dyson, from the Etheridge. 



" On Friday the i^tb, the diggers started before daylight and went up the river 

 to what is now PALMERVILLE, where we found a few hundred diggers. The diggings 

 on the ' Left-Hand Branch ' of the Palmer had been opened three days before and had 

 taken away a considerable number of men. 



" We had come very near the end of our provisions, what we could carry on our 

 backs, and unless we could buy more on the spot must return to the port, however 

 rich in gold the Palmer might be. We found that the only FLOUR FOR SALE was a 

 few bags on a 5-horse dray belonging to Ned Neil. Mrs. Neil was mounted on the 

 dray and conducted the sale of the flour, at half-a-crown a pound. If the lady didn't 

 like the looks of you, or found fault with your manners, or thought she could read 



