THE EED EIVEU EXPEDITION. 267 



but which in this instance was as sheets of water 

 tumbling upon us in rapid succession, beginning 

 suddenly and ending as abruptly. The morning of 

 the 16th was, however, fine, with a bright sun shin- 

 ing, and a strong westerly wind blowing, which, 

 although it served to dry up everything, raised such 

 a sea on the lake that wave after wave rolled in 

 towards shore, breaking with a heavy surf over the 

 sandy beach in M 'Neil's Bay. Whilst this lasted 

 little could be done : the empty boats were either 

 kept moored out in deep water in strings one behind 

 the others, or were drawn up high and dry on the 

 shore. Its force lessened as the sun approached the 

 horizon ; and as the lake became sxifficiently calm, 

 boat after boat was brought alongside the wharf and 

 received its allotted cargo. Such a scene of bustle 

 and excitement is seldom to be witnessed. Each 

 boat had to be complete in itself with sixty days' 

 provisions for all on board, with ammunition, camp 

 equipment, and a hundred other things all essential 

 for health and safety. Every one felt that their 

 comfort and preservation would be endangered if 

 any of the articles selected after so much careful 

 thought by General Lindsay were forgotten ; for we 

 all knew that in a few hours we should have bid a 

 long farewell to civilisation, and that ere many days 

 had passed we should be beyond the reach of all 

 assistance from the outside world. Officers and non- 

 commissioned were running about in all directions, 



