142 
PLUNDERED BY NATIVES. 
pitching my tent among the scrub took up my 
quarters alone, whilst I sent back the man, the native 
boy, the dray, and all the horses with Mr. Scott to 
Baxter’s range. As they made an early start, I gave 
them instructions to push on as rapidly as possible, 
so as to get to the range* that night, to rest the 
horses next day and fill the casks with water, and 
on the third day, if possible, to return the whole dis- 
tance and rejoin me. 
Having seen them fairly away, I occupied myself 
in writing and charting during the day, and at night 
amused myself in taking stellar observations for 
latitude. I had already taken the altitude of Vega, 
and deduced the latitude to be 32° 3' 23" S.; leaving 
my artificial horizon on the ground outside v, hilst 
I remained in the tent waiting until Altair came to 
the meridian, I then took my sextant and went out 
to observe this star also ; but upon putting down my 
hand to take hold of the horizon glass in order to 
wipe the dew off, my fingers went into the quick- 
silver— the horizon glass was gone, and also the piece 
of canvass I had put on the ground to lie down upon 
whilst observing so low an altitude as that of Vega. 
Searching a little more I missed a spade, a parcel 
of horse shoes, an axe, a tin dish, some ropes, a grub- 
bing hoe, and several smaller things which had been 
left outside the tent, as not being likely to take any 
injury from the damp. 
It was evident I was surrounded by natives, who 
had stolen all these things during the short time I 
