588 NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA 



antibilious pills, as constipation seemed to be his only complaint 

 recognisable. 



The night was fine. 



March 7. To LIGHTEN THE PACKS, we abandoned twenty 

 slippers [cast horse-shoes. R. L. J.], a jar of arsenical soap, a lot 

 of odds and ends of saddlery designed for mendings, and the 

 pack-saddles of " Greenhide," " Queensland " and " Greyhound," 

 as it had become questionable whether any one of the poor beasts 

 could even " carry his hide " to Somerset. " Greyhound " seems 

 better to-day. 



The day was dull and threatening, but there was only one heavy 

 shower. 



Charlie and I visited " Greenhide " and " Queensland." 

 The former was evidently in a dying condition, and scarcely took 

 any notice of us ; he had wasted to a mere skeleton. His legs 

 were much swollen and he could hardly walk. The skin on his 

 quarters was cracked and running. He was covered with flies 

 from head to foot. 



" Queensland " seemed a good deal better. We drove him 

 on (and he followed Charlie's lead quite intelligently, needing but 

 little driving) to a point below the promontory which Charlie 

 and I visited yesterday, where there was good grass and plenty of 

 water. At this point we could pick him up on the next day's 

 stage, and save him at least 2 miles of travelling. 



March 8. Leaving Camp 55, we kept the top of the escarpment 

 to the point where we left " QUEENSLAND." We found him 

 DEAD. He had fallen down about 30 yards from a gully, and 

 struggled down to it to die. 



For a mile and a half to the east we travelled through rather 

 thick " whip-stick " BRUSH to a belt of SCRUB fringing the fourth- 

 magnitude creek which comes down from the Richardson Range 

 north of where we left it. We found a good crossing and open 

 country beyond. At the crossing, however, poor " GREYHOUND " 

 stumbled and FELL BACK. He was rolled over and set on his legs, 

 but as I was leading him up the bank by the halter, he tumbled 

 back again, and this time could not be got up. There was no fear 

 of his drowning. We cut away his saddle (all he was carrying) to 

 give him a chance for life, and LEFT HIM. 



In half a mile to the north-east we headed a BOG, and then 

 continued for 2 miles to the east along the edge of a ridge, covered 

 with cypress-pine SCRUB, till we crossed to the left bank of a fourth- 

 magnitude creek bordered with PALMS. For 2 miles more to the 

 east we traversed WELL-GRASSED COUNTRY, with belts of scrub and 

 gullies falling to the south-east. The next 3 miles, through good 

 grassy country to east-south-east, along the edge of a dense SCRUB 

 fringing a creek, brought us within sight of the SEA. We could not, 

 however, get down to the beach, as another scrub turned us a 



