short, and the head we made against the stream
but trifling. The men lost the proper and muscular jerk with which they
once made the waters foam and the oars bend. Their whole bodies swung
with an awkward and laboured motion. Their arms appeared to be
nerveless; their faces became haggard, their persons emaciated, their
spirits wholly sunk; nature was so completely overcome, that from mere
exhaustion they frequently fell asleep during their painful and almost
ceaseless exertions. It grieved me to the heart to see them in such a
state at the close of so perilous a service, and I began to reproach
Robert Harris that he did not move down the river to meet us; but, in
fact, he was not to blame. I became captious, and found fault where
there was no occasion, and lost the equilibrium of my temper in
contemplating the condition of my companions. No murmur, however,
escaped them, nor did a complaint reach me that was intended to
indicate that they had done all they could do. I frequently heard them
in their tent, when they thought I had dropped asleep, complaining of
severe pains, and of great exhaustion. "I must tell the Captain,
to-morrow," some of them would say, "that I can pull no longer."
To-morrow came, and they pulled on, as if reluctant to yield to
circumstances. Macnamee at length lost his senses. We first observed
this from his incoherent conversation, but eventually from his manner.
He related the most extraordinary tales and fidgetted about eternally
while in the boat. I felt it necessary, therefore, to relieve him from
the oars.

_April 12th._ I determined on sending Hopkinson and Mulholland, whose
devotion, intelligence and indefatigable spirits I well knew, forward to
the plain.

The joy this intimation spread was universal. Both Hopkinson and
Mulholland readily undertook the journey, and I, accordingly, prepared
orders for them to start by the earliest dawn.

Six days had passed since their departure; we remaining encamped. I had
calculated on seeing Hopkinson again in eight days, but as the morrow
would see us without food, I thought, as the men had had a little rest,
it would be better to advance towards relief than to await its arrival.

On the evening of the 18th, therefore, we buried our specimens and other
stores, intending to break up the camp in the morning. A singular bird,
which invariably passed it at an hour after sunset, and which, from the
heavy flight, appeared to be of unusual size, had so a