owler's Bay and King George's Sound,
located among barren sand-drifts, and without a drop of water beyond us
on either side, within a less distance than 150 miles. Our provisions
were rapidly decreasing, whilst we were lying idle and inactive in camp;
and yet it would be absolutely necessary for us thus to remain for some
time longer, or at once abandon the horses, and endeavour to make our way
without them. To the latter, however, there were many objections, one of
which was, that I well knew from the experience we had already had, that
if we abandoned the horses, and had those fearful long distances to
travel without water, we never could accomplish them on foot, if
compelled at the same time to live upon a very low diet, to carry our
arms, ammunition, and provisions, and in addition to these, a stock of
water, sufficient to last six or seven days. The only thing that had
enabled us to get through so far on our journey in safety, had been the
having the horses with us, for though weak and jaded, they had yet
carried the few things, which were indispensable to us, and which we
never could have carried ourselves under the circumstances.

There was another inducement to continue with the horses, which had
considerable weight with me, and however revolting the idea might be at
first, it was a resource which I foresaw the desperate circumstances we
were in must soon compel us to adopt. It was certainly horrible to
contemplate the destruction of the noble animals that had accompanied us
so far, but ere long I well knew that such would be the only chance of
saving our own lives, and I hoped that by accustoming the mind to dwell
upon the subject beforehand, when the evil hour did arrive, the horror
and disgust would be in some degree lessened. Upon consulting the
overseer, I was glad to find that he agreed with me fully in the
expediency of not abandoning the horses until it became unavoidable, and
that he had himself already contemplated the probability of our being
very shortly reduced to the alternative of using them for food.

It remained now only to decide, which way we would go when we agan moved
on, whether to prosecute our journey to the Sound, or try to retrace our
steps to Fowler's Bay. On this point my own opinion never wavered for an
instant. My conviction of the utter impossibility of our ever being able
to recross the fearful country we had passed through with such
difficulty, under circumstances so much more fa