r five
miles, by which time they had got rid of all their loads except the
saddles. Sending the black boy back to the depot with the four horses
that had not got away, I and the overseer went on horseback after the
others, picking up the baggage they had been carrying, scattered about in
every direction; luckily no great damage was done, and at sunset we were
all assembled again at the depot, and the animals reloaded. Leaving a
short note for Mr. Scott, who had gone on board the cutter, we again
recommenced our journey, and, travelling for five miles, halted at the
well in the plains. I intended to have made a long stage, but the night
set in so dark that I did not like to venture amongst the scrub with the
pack-horses now they were so fresh, and where, if they did get frightened
and gallop off, they would cause us much greater trouble and delay than
they had done in the daytime.

February 26.--Moving on very early, we arrived at the grassy plain under
the sand-hills, a little after three in the afternoon, just in time to
save the gun and clothes of the black boys, which they had imprudently
left there whilst they took the sheep to water, a mile and a half away.
At the very instant of our arrival, a native was prowling about the camp,
and would, doubtless, soon have carried off every thing. Upon examining
the place at which we had buried our flour on the 31st December, and upon
which we were now dependent for our supply, I found that we had only just
arrived in time to save it from the depredations of the natives; it
seems, that having found where the cask containing it was buried, and
being unable, from its weight, to get it out of the ground, they had
broken a square hole in one of the staves (by what means I could not
discover), and though, as yet, every thing was safe and uninjured inside,
I have no doubt, that, had we been one day later in coming, they would
have enlarged the opening in the cask, and scattered or destroyed the
contents, and we should have then had the unpleasant and laborious task
of returning to that we had buried at Fowler's Bay for a fresh supply. A
bucket, which we had also left buried, was broken to pieces, a two gallon
keg carried off, and a twenty-five gallon cask full of water had been dug
up, and the water drank or emptied, so that we were very fortunate in
arriving when we did to prevent further loss.

The black boys, who had gone a-head with the sheep, returned soon after
our arrival, t