384 
UNFAVOURABLE REPORT. 
for water, but that none could be found, and that 
there was hardly a blade of grass any where, 
whilst the whole region around was becoming 
densely scrubby ; through much of which we should 
have to pass before we reached the cliffs. Alto- 
gether, the overseer seemed quite discouraged by the 
appearance of the country, and to dread the idea of 
moving on in that direction, often saying, that he 
wished he was back, and that he thought he could 
retrace his steps to Fowler’s Bay, where a supply of 
provisions had been buried. I was vexed at these 
remarks, because I felt that I could not coincide in 
them, and because I knew that when the moment 
for decision came, my past experience, and the strong 
reasons which had produced in my own mind quite 
a different conviction, would compel me to act in 
opposition to the wishes of the only European with 
me, and he a person, too, whom I sincerely re- 
spected for the fidelity and devotion with which he 
had followed me through all my wanderings. I 
was afraid, too, that the native boys, hearing his re- 
marks, and perceiving that he had no confidence in 
our future movements, would catch up the same 
idea, and that, in addition to the other difficulties 
and anxieties I had to cope with, would be the still 
more frightful one of disaffection and discontent. 
Another subject of uneasiness arose from the nature 
of our diet; — for some few days we had. all been 
using a good deal of the sting-ray fish, and though 
at first we had found it palatable, either from con- 
