672 NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA 



anathemas so liberally employed. At Bradford's Camp 32, he was 

 about 4 miles west of the Jardines' track and by the end of the 

 day the tracks had diverged to about 8 miles. My own track 

 (1880) was about 3 miles east of the Jardines', while Kennedy's 

 and Jackey-Jackey's (on the "forlorn hope," 1848) was about 

 2 miles further east. 



Bradford's diary continues : 



" Tuesday, August 7. Started away from last night's camp at 7.30 a.m. Followed 

 the gully on which we had camped for half a mile to ENE. through dense brushwood 

 scrubs : then NNW. for half a mile to the top of a stony scrubby hill : then a quarter 

 of a mile to a gully falling to the SW. and containing a stream of water. A horse known 

 as Pony knocked up here and had to be abandoned. We could not stop, as there was 

 no grass, and the horses had been starving all night. Still continued to NNW. for 

 another quarter of a mile. When on the summit of a ridge I could see forest timber 

 to the right and, hoping to find some grass, I made for it. NNE. for half a mile brought 

 us into the forest, but not into grass. Heather, grasstree and scrub filled all the inter- 

 stices between the trees. North for a quarter of a mile. Samson now knocked up and 

 had to be abandoned, as there was every probability of losing more horses if I delayed for 

 him. SW. to NW. to N. for half a mile, through thick brushwood scrub and heather, 

 brought us to the edge of a swamp : no grass, however. A horse named Olive here 

 showed signs of giving in, streaming with perspiration, so I sent two of the men to look 

 for grass, while the horses had a rest for a short time. I now steered NNE. for a mile 

 along the edge of a swamp. The country became more open, but still the same 

 wretched desert. At the end of this mile we came on the bank of a river, flowing 

 rapidly to the NW. with a strong current and a deep stream. This is the McHENRY 

 RIVER of the Messrs. Jardine. The men had to make a cutting in the bank before we 

 could cross the horses. We crossed and camped on the northern bank. All the 

 country from Camp 32 is of the most wretched description. The SCRUB has almost 

 finished all our horses. Five of them I daily expect to have to abandon, they are so 

 poor and weak. They do nothing but carry themselves from camp to camp. Samson 

 and Pony I cannot send back for, as it knocks too much out of the horses we have to 

 depend on, perhaps for our lives. RATIONS are getting SHORT also, so I cannot afford 

 to give them another long spell. No timber whatever suitable for telegraph purposes 

 on yesterday's and to-day's route. Saw some cypress pine, but it was miserable stunted 

 stuff. The country we are now camped in is very poorly grassed. 



" Distance from Camp 32, 15 miles 50 chains. 



" Mr. Healy, who has been out on foot up the river, reports that there is some very 

 good pine a short distance ENE. of Camp 33. 



" Honeysuckle marked B over XXXIII.' 



" Wednesday, August 8. Spelling the horses. Healy and I went out on foot 

 this morning. Very fatiguing work. Only open country on the banks of the river. 

 Half a mile back from it nothing but scrub, sometimes dense and full of vines, which 

 made it a very trying job to travel far through it. Cook shoeing some of the horses. 

 A low waterfall on the river half a mile below the camp. Threw away a lot of spare 

 horse-shoes and hobbles. Weather showery." 



The stages between Camp 33 and Camp 37 were made (9-1 2th 

 August) on a NW. course across east- and- west gullies falling into 

 the north-running McHenry River. The desert character of the 

 country was unchanged, the horses repeating their unpleasant 

 experiences of bogs, of starvation, of being forced through cuttings 

 in grassless scrub or brushwood (the latter poisonous), of dropping 

 into narrow quicksandy gullies, or crossing them by bridges 



