CH. IV.] MAN LOST IN THE WOODS. 99 



of that also. The only starving members of the party were 

 our unfortunate dogs, which had become almost too weak 

 to kill a kangaroo — had any been seen there ; neither did 

 that region contain bandicoots, which, in other situations; had 

 been occasionally caught about dead trees, with the assistance 

 of some of the watch-dogs. We were obliged to shoot hawks 

 and crows, and boil them into a mess, which served, at least, 

 to keep these poor animals alive. 



Jan. 29. — The cart was sent back about twelve miles for 

 some of the callitris trees, required for planking, none having 

 been seen nearer to our camp. 



William Woods, who had gone out in search of the spare 

 cattle early in the morning, did not return by one p.m., and as 

 he was a good busliman, we began to feel apprehensive that 

 the natives had detained, or perhaps, killed him. T, there- 

 fore, proceeded in search, with four men, and scoured the 

 forest witliin five miles of the camp, without discovering any 

 traces either of the natives, or of him. On returning, how- 

 ever, at sunset, we had the satisfaction to find, that he had 

 reached the camp about an hour before us, having, during 

 the whole day, been unable to find his way back to our camp, 

 through the trackless forest- 

 To-day, the river fell another inch, and this failure of the 

 waters, as upon the Nammoy, added much to the irksomeness 

 of the delay, necessary for the completion of a boat. In the 

 present case, however, more than on the Nammoy, the ex- 

 pected arrival of Mr. Finch, and the exhausted state of our 

 cattle, disposed me to give the party some days rest, at so 

 convenient a point, and towards which I had indeed looked 

 forward with this view, in the efforts we made to attain it. 

 The characters of my men were now better known to nie, and 

 I could not help feeling some sympathy for " the doctor," as 

 the men called Souter. He was also what they termed " a 

 new chum," or one newly arrived. He left the mess of his 

 fellow prisoners, and cooked and ate by himself. In figure 

 he was the finest specimen of our race in the party, and as he 



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