KILL A HORSE FOR FOOD. 
385 
fining ourselves too exclusively to it, or from eating 
too much, it had latterly disagreed with us. The 
overseer declared it made him ill and weak, and 
that he could do nothing whilst living upon it. The 
boys said the same ; and yet we had nothing else 
to supply its place, and the small quantity of flour 
left would not admit of our using more than was 
barely necessary to sustain life. At this time we 
had hardly any fish left, and the whole party were 
ravenously hungry. In this dilemma, I determined 
to have the sick horse killed for food. It was im- 
possible he could ever recover, and by depriving 
him of life a few hours sooner than the natural 
course of events would have done, we should be 
enabled to get a supply of food to last us over a few r 
days more, by which time I hoped we might again 
be able to venture on, and attempt another push to 
the westward. 
Early on the morning of the 16th, I sent the 
overseer to kill the unfortunate horse, which was 
still alive, but unable to rise from the ground, 
having never moved from the place where he had first 
been found lying yesterday morning. The miserable 
animal was in the most wretched state possible, thin 
and emaciated by dreadful and long continued suf- 
ferings, and labouring under some complaint, that 
in a very few hours at the farthest, must have termi- 
nated its life. 
After a great portion of the meat had been cut off 
from the carcase, in thin slices, they were dipped 
2 c 
VOL. I. 
