e full value
of any property of his that I might destroy, I proceeded to open it with
the intention of throwing all useless articles away.

Upon this announcement of mine he burst into tears, deplored alternately
his dying state and the loss of the bundle, and then poured forth a
torrent of invectives against me, in the midst of which I quietly went on
unfolding the treasured parcel and exposing to view the following
articles: Three yards of thick heavy canvas; some duck which he had
purloined; a large roll of sewing thread, ditto; a thick pea jacket which
I had abandoned at the boats, and had, at his request, given to him; and
various other old pieces of canvas and duck; also a great part of the
cordage of one of the boats, which he had taken without permission.

When these various articles were produced it was difficult to tell which
was the prevailing sentiment in the minds of some of the party--mirth at
thus seeing the contents of the mysterious bundle exposed, or indignation
that a man should have been so foolish as to endanger his own life and
delay our movements for the sake of such a collection of trash. A pair of
shoes and one or two useful articles were retained, the remainder were
thrown away, and in a few minutes we were again under weigh for the
spring of water.

HALT AT WATER PEAK.

Another hour's march brought us to the spring; and those who with me had
been marching through a great part of the night gladly laid down to rest;
but I soon roused myself again, being urged by the pangs of hunger.
Fortunately I had shot a crow in the morning, and now, gathering a few
wild greens that grew about the water, I cooked a breakfast for myself
and the native without being obliged to draw upon my little store of
flour. This frugal repast having been washed down by a few mouthfuls of
water, I resumed my meditations of the previous night.

CRITICAL SITUATION.

The following appeared to be our true position. We were about one hundred
and ninety miles from Perth, in a direct line measured through the air.
None of the party had more than six or seven pounds of flour left; whilst
I had myself but one pound and a half, and half a pound of arrowroot; the
native had nothing left and was wholly dependant on me for his
subsistence. Now we had been seven days on our route, and had made but
little more than seventy miles, and as the men were much weaker than when
they first started it appeared to me to be extremely problemat