12th October.
We were now getting so near our destination that, although provisions
were getting low, we could afford to give the party a whole day's rest,
while I was enabled roughly to plot out some more of my work and write up
the journal, which, from having my time constantly taken up with more
pressing duties, had fallen sadly into arrears. The natives again came to
see what they could steal, but this time were made to sit outside a line
drawn on the sand, some twenty paces from the camp--an arrangement they
appeared highly to disapprove of, giving expression to their
dissatisfaction in a manner anything but polite; finding, however, that
we were inattentive to their impertinence so long as they confined it to
harmless display, they watched their opportunity, and suddenly set fire
to the grass in several places at once around the camp, and ran off as
hard as they could. As this was an open act of hostility that it was
necessary they should be chastised for, although I did not wish seriously
to hurt them, they were allowed to run to a suitable distance, when a
charge of small shot was fired after them, a few of which taking effect
in the rear of the principal offender, induced him, on meeting some of
the party out shooting, to make an apology, and try to lay the blame of
the theft of the previous day on the dogs.
13th October (Sunday).
As the distances between the several watering places on the homeward
route were too much to perform without intermediate halts, and the heat
of the noon-day sun rather oppressive, it was found better to start from
the pools late in the day, so as to make the halts without water during
the cool of the night, travelling only very late in the evening and early
in the morning. We accordingly did not start this afternoon until 4 p.m.,
and travelled on to 8.45, encamping in an open grassy plain under Black
Hill--a volcanic eminence, the position of which is shown on the
Admiralty charts. Camp 99.
14th October.
By 6 a.m. we were again on the move, and in an hour gained the banks of
the George, which takes its rise in the volcanic hills to the southward.
In its channel was an abundant supply of water, with many fine healthy
trees overshadowing the pools. By 9.0 we arrived at our old camp (50),
where we rested to 4.15 p.m., when we resumed and travelled on till
nearly 8.0, encamping on the open grassy plains near the Harding River.
Camp 100.