386 
HORSE-FLESH DIET. 
in salt water and hung up upon strings to dry in the 
sun. I could not bring myself to eat any to-day, so 
horrible and revolting did it appear to me, but the 
overseer made a hearty dinner, and the native boys 
gorged themselves to excess, remaining the whole 
afternoon by the carcase, where they made a fire, 
cutting off and roasting such portions as had been 
left. They looked like ravenous wolves about 
their prey, and when they returned to the camp at 
night, they were loaded with as much cooked meat 
as they could carry, and which they were continually 
eating during the night ; I made a meal upon some 
of the sting-ray that was still left, but it made me 
dreadfully sick, and I was obliged to lie down, 
seriously ill. 
April 17. — Being rather better to-day, I was 
obliged to overcome my repugnance to the disagree- 
able food we were compelled to resort to, and the ice 
once broken, I found that although it was far from 
being palatable, I could gradually reconcile myself 
to it. The boys after breakfast again went down to 
the carcase, and spent the whole day roasting and 
eating, and at night they again returned to the 
camp loaded. We turned all the meat upon the 
strings and redipped it in sea water again to-day, 
but the weather was unfavourable for drying it, 
being cold and damp. Both yesterday and to-day 
light showers fell sufficient to moisten the grass. 
April 18. — The day being much warmer, many 
large flies were about, and I was obliged to have a 
