endeavour to head the marsh.

DANGER FROM NATIVES.

Just as we had prepared to return home the cries of the natives arose
close to us; their fire was about half a mile away, and their calls had
already several times been heard. Now that they were so near us I thought
it better to load my second barrel with ball, for I did not like their
hanging about us in the way they had done for several days. On putting my
hand into my haversack in order to prepare some ammunition I found, to my
great dismay, that I had taken in mistake one which belonged to another
man and which contained no ammunition; nor was there a ball in possession
of any person with me which would fit my gun and, as I knew that the aim
of those with me was not much to be depended on, even under the coolest
and most favourable circumstances, I thought that in the moment of a
desperate attack it might be still less sure; this, added to the want of
confidence incident on finding oneself unarmed and dependent on the
protection of others, made me feel very uncomfortable until we once more
reached the tents.

RAINS CONTINUE. TORRENTS OF RAIN.

During the early part of the day the rain fell in torrents; but, as it
cleared off a little soon after our arrival, we started in a
north-westerly direction. Such violent storms of thunder, lightning, and
rain set in when we had made about two or three miles that I was again
obliged to halt; and as it continued to rain heavily throughout the
night, our situation, which was already bad, might now be said to be
hourly growing worse; and it can readily be conceived that, between
rheumatism in my wounded limb, lying in water, and vexation at the
constant difficulties we experienced, I was too much harassed to be able
to sleep.

SWAMPS.

The continued rain during the night had necessarily rendered the marsh
far more impracticable than before; but, as no other route to the
southward could be found on account of the river which lay upon either
hand, I was compelled to wait until the ground again in some measure
dried. But it would have been equally as impossible to beat a retreat as
it was to get forward, for we were in a manner surrounded by swampy land,
and when the loads were placed upon the ponies they sank nearly up to the
shoulders in a bog in whichever direction we attempted to move; but as
our present position would have been unsafe in the event of an extensive
inundation taking place I judged it necessary at all eve