178 
PATIENCE OF THE MEN. 
labour at the oars. The cheerfulness and satisfaction that 
my young friend evinced at the opportunity that was thus 
afforded him of making himself useful, and of relieving 
those under him from some portion of their toil, at the same 
time that they encreased my sincere esteem for him, were 
nothing more than what I expected from one who had en- 
deavoured by every means in his power to contribute to 
the success of that enterprise upon which he had embarked. 
But although I have said thus much of the exhausted con- 
dition of the men, — and ere these pages are concluded my 
readers will feel satisfied as to the truth of my statement I 
would by no means be understood to say that they flagged 
for a moment, or that a single murmur escaped them. No 
reluctance was visible, no complaint was heard, but there 
was that in their aspect and appearance which they could not 
hide, and which I could not mistake. My object in dwel- 
ling so long upon this subject has been to point outour situa- 
tion and our feelings when we re-entered the Murray. The 
only circumstance that appeared to be in our favour was the 
prevalence of the south-west wind, by which I hoped we 
should be assisted in running up the first broad reaches of 
that river. I could not but acknowledge the bounty of that 
Providence, which had favoured us in our passage across 
the lake, and I was led to hope that its merciful superin- 
tendence would protect us from evil, and would silently 
direct us where human foresight and prudence failed. We 
re-entered the river on the 13th undei as fail piospects as 
we could have desired. The gale which had blown with 
