abandon and burn the BOAT. 
219 
such as to awaken in my breast a feeling of the highest 
approbation. Their conduct, indeed, exceeded all praise, 
nor did they hesitate one moment when I called upon them 
to undertake this last trying duty, after such continued 
exertion. I am sure the reader will forgive me for bringing 
under his notice the generous efforts of these two men ; by 
me it can never be forgotten. 
Six days had passed since their departure ; we remaining 
encamped. M'Leay and myself had made some short ex- 
cursions, but without any result worthy of notice. A group 
of sandhills rose in the midst of the alluvial deposits, about 
a quarter of a mile from the tents, that were covered with 
coarse grasses and banksias. W e shot several intertropical 
birds feeding in the latter, and sucking the honey from their 
flowers. I had, in the mean time, directed Clayton to make 
some plant cases of the upper planks of the boat, and then 
to set fire to her, for she was wholly unserviceable, and I 
felt a reluctance to leave her like a neglected log on the 
water. The last ounce of flour had been served out to the 
men, and the whole of it was consumed on the sixth day 
from that on which we had abandoned the boat. I had cal- 
culated on seeing Ilopkinson again in eight days, but as the 
morrow would see us without food, I thought, as the men 
had had a little rest, it would be better to advance towards re- 
lief than to await its arrival. 
On the evening of the 18th, therefore, we buried our spe- 
cimens and other stores, intending to break up the camp in 
the morning. A singular bird, which invariably passed it 
