106 SUFFERINGS AT KING’S RIVER. 
swampy morass, and in endeavouring to take the 
horses through, three of them got bogged and were 
nearly lost, and both myself and Wylie were detained 
in the water and mud for a couple of hours, endea- 
vouring to extricate them. At last we succeeded, 
but the poor animals were sadly weakened and 
strained, and we were compelled to return back to 
the same side of the river, and encamp for the 
night, instead of going on to King George’s Sound 
as I had intended ! 
Fortunately there was tolerable grass, and fresh 
water lay every where about in great abundance, 
so that the horses would fare well, but for ourselves 
there was a cheerless prospect. For three days and 
nights, we had never had our clothes dry, and for 
the greater part of this time, we had been enduring in 
full violence the pitiless storm — whilst wading so con- 
stantly through the cold torrents in the depth of the 
winter season, and latterly beingdetained in the water 
so long a time at the King’s river, had rendered 
us rheumatic, and painfully sensitive to either cold or 
wet. I hoped to have reached Albany this evening, 
and should have done so, as it was only six miles 
distant, if it had not been for the unlucky attempt 
to cross King’s river. Now we had another night’s 
misery before us, for we had hardly lain down before 
the rain began to fall again in torrents. Wearied 
and worn-out as we were, with the sufferings and 
fatigues of the last few days, we could neither sit 
nor lie down to rest ; our only consolation under the 
