126 DEATH OF MR. FREDERIC SMITH. 



found the poor fellow quite dead in a bush, with 

 his blanket half rolled round him. It appeared that 

 he had tried to scramble up a sand-hill and had 

 fallen back into the bush and died — a sad and me- 

 lancholy fate for one so young. He had laboured 

 under great disadvantages in walking, having cut 

 his feet in very gallantly swimming out to save 

 one of the boats during a hurricane in Sharks 

 Bay. He was reduced to a perfect skeleton ; 

 having, in fact, been starved to death. The sight 

 drew forth a tributary tear of affection even from the 

 native who accompanied the party. Mr, Roe con- 

 signed poor young Smith's remains to the earth, and 

 setting up a piece of board to mark the spot, 

 smoothed down his lonely pillow, and moved with 

 his companions in mournful silence towards the 

 south. 



It must have been an impressive scene ; the sun, as 

 if conscious that he was shining for the last time on 

 the remains of the ill-fated young explorer, seemed 

 to linger as if unwilling to descend into the western 

 horizon ; and his full red orb painted a number of 

 light airy clouds that floated through the sky in 

 the most brilliant colours, and shed a stream of 

 fire over the water as it rolled with a mournful 

 dirge-like sound on the strand close by. The howl 

 of a wild dog now and then fell on their ears as 

 they performed their melancholy task, and alone 

 broke the stillness that reigned around, as they re- 

 treated slowly along the beach. 



