374 Account of Macquarie Harbour. 
the boat off, although they entreated to be allowed to 
keep it. 
The next day a boat from the vessel landed on the beach, 
at a distance from where they were, three pounds of bis¬ 
cuit for each man, about the same quantity of meat, and 
half the quantity of flour, with a small proportion of tea 
and sugar, also a live goat; a few articles of clothing for 
the military (Messrs. Hoy and Taw having been allowed 
to take a little the day before), a pair of shoes and some 
flannels for Mr. Hoy, with a message, that if the party 
would remain at the mouth of the harbour until the vessel 
got over the bar, they should be allowed some more provi¬ 
sions and one of the boats. This promise was not kept, for 
the next day, the wind shifting in favour of the vessel, 
she got safe over the bar and proceeded to sea. 
The situation of the party left on shore was most dis¬ 
tressing: the nearest inhabited place they could reach 
was the Van Diemen’s Land Company’s establishment at 
Circular Head, a distance of eighty miles, which, consi¬ 
dering the nature of the ground they had to travel, besides 
crossing the entrance of the harbour, they could not 
expect to reach in a less period than ten days, whilst their 
scanty stock of provisions could not last half that time. 
They fortunately found a few young potatoes growing at 
the pilot’s station, which they dug up; and after a short 
consultation they determined to start without delay. 
They constructed a raft, and on the following morning 
succeeded without accident in crossing the estuary. The 
raft could only take three at a time, so that one of the 
party was obliged to return for the others. The whole 
were wet to the skin. 
It would take too much of our space to recount the 
difficulties and dangers which they had to encounter in 
their journey. At times they had to make their way 
over rocks almost inaccessible, at others through a dense, 
