NARRATIVE OF MR. CARRON. 189 



been committed, and it was found necessary to watch 

 the provisions night and day. Mr. Kennedy was 

 anxious to discover the thief in this instance, as it 

 was stolen in open dayhght while Mr. Kennedy 

 himself was keeping- a look-out in his tent, not 

 twenty yards from where the provisions were stolen ; 

 every man's load was searched, but in vain, and Mr. 

 Kennedy, knowing that a party left the camp for 

 the purpose of fishing a short distance up the river, 

 and another party a few yards down the river to 

 wash some clothes — took Jackey with him, who, 

 by detecting some crumbs on the ground, discovered 

 that the damper had been eaten at the place where 

 the clothes were washed. 



So careless were some of the party of the fatal 

 consequences of our provisions being consumed 

 before we arrived at Cape York, that as soon as we 

 camped and the horses were unpacked, it ^^'as 

 necessary that all the provisions should he deposited 

 together on a tarpaulin, and that I should be near 

 them by day and by night, so that I could not leave 

 the camp at all, unless Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Wall 

 undertook to watch the stores. I was obliged to 

 watch the food whilst cooking ; it was taken out of 

 the boiler in the presence of myself and two or three 

 others, and placed in the stores till morning. 



It was seldom that I could go to bed before nine 

 or ten o'clock at night, and I had to be up at four 

 in the morning to see our tea made and sweetened, 

 and our breakfast served out by dayUght. The 



