NABEATIVE OF ME. CARRON. 219 



into a yellowish oil, when boiled for a few minutes. 

 I gave them a few fish-hooks, but found it very 

 difficult to get them to leave the camp. 



Deo. l^th. — This morning Mitchell was found 

 dead by the side of the creek, with his feet in the 

 water. He must have gone down at night to get 

 water, but too much exhausted to perform his task, 

 had sat down and died there. None of us being 

 strong enough to dig a grave for him, we sewed the 

 body in a blanket, with a few stones to sink it, and 

 then put it into the brackish water. 



Dec. 15th. — The thermometer fell this morning 

 and was broken. It was raining heavily all day, 

 and two bags of my seeds, and several other little 

 things, were washed out of the tent by the water 

 which ran down the hill. We were all very ill and 

 weak. 



Dec. 16th. — It was raining this morning, and we 

 remained in the tent. Hearing one of our dogs 

 barking, however, I went out and saw several na- 

 tives with pieces of fish and turtle, which I took 

 from them, when they left us. The natives also 

 brought us some roasted nymphsea roots, which they 

 call " dillii." During the last few days we shot 

 seven pigeons. Wall and Goddard used to go into 

 the scrub and sit beneath a tree, to which they used 

 to come for berries to feed their young', and watch- 

 ing their opportunity, shoot them. 



Dec. 21st. — Our kangaroo dog being very weak, 

 and unable to catch anything, we killed, and lived 



