Fort Jameson to Nawalia 



quit during the whole of the remainder of our 

 journey to Broken Hill. We passed one or two 

 prosperous looking farms in clearings and a bunga- 

 low called ** The Retreat," used by the Beauforts as 

 a week-end resort. Our machilla teams, considering 

 that they were new to their work, did extremely 

 well. The pace was at first rather slower than that 

 which we had been accustomed to, but this was due to 

 our own instructions, given with a view to avoiding 

 falls. We were always somewhat anxious for a day 

 or so when travelling with a new team, as a fall 

 would not only result in an unpleasant jolt, but 

 might also very probably bring with it a blow on 

 the head from one of the poles on which the 

 machilla is slung. 



Experience showed us, however, that with a team 

 of four there was but little real danger of an accident. 

 The boys are very sure-footed, so that during the 

 whole of our journey neither of us had a fall, and only 

 on one or two occasions, when the roads were very 

 slippery after heavy rain, had we even a man down. 



We reached our new camp just before sunset, to 

 find everything much as usual, although John was 

 in too despondent a condition to instruct the porters 

 where to put their loads, and the tent was conse- 

 quently in some confusion, the other servants not 

 having entirely recovered from their rest. 



The only incident that broke the usual peaceful 

 tenor of our evening — a repose which, on this 

 occasion, contrasted with the comparative bustle of 

 Fort Jameson — was an extraordinary bubbling noise, 

 which sounded as if all the kitchen kettles were 



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