ACCIDENT TO LIEUT. GORE. 283 



impeachment of the wisdom of the Almighty, to 

 imagine that he determines the fortunes of men ac- 

 cording to the work in which they are engaged. 



Mr. Gore's hand was dreadfully lacerated ; but 

 no bones were broken ; and on recovering from his 

 swoon, the first words he uttered were — " Killed 

 the bird ! " — an expression truly characteristic of a 

 sportsman, and evincing how exactly the mind, 

 when its perception has been momentarily sus- 

 pended, reverts, on recovering, to the idea last pre- 

 sent to it. 



My first impulse was to return to the ship ; but 

 at the earnest request of Mr. Gore, who felt some- 

 what revived after I washed his hand in brandy and 

 tied it up, we continued ; but the utter silence and 

 crave demeanour of all shewed that each was occu- 

 pied with thoughts of the danger some of us had 

 escaped of being ushered unprepared into the pre- 

 sence of our Maker. A rustling in the bushes on 

 the bank, as we wound round an island of some size 

 at the extremity of this nearly fatal reach, broke 

 the reverie in which we were indulging. Fancying 

 it was a kangaroo, I fired at the spot, when a half- 

 orown wild doo- came rollino^ down into the water. 

 It was of a dark brown colour, with large patches 

 of white, differing from any of the kind I had ever 

 seen before. 



Above this island we pursued a general W. S. W. 

 direction ; but to our great mortification there was 

 water for the yawl only four miles further. In the 



