nother subject of uneasiness arose from the nature of our
diet;--for some few days we had all been using a good deal of the
sting-ray fish, and though at first we had found it palatable, either
from confining ourselves too exclusively to it, or from eating too much,
it had latterly disagreed with us. The overseer declared it made him ill
and weak, and that he could do nothing whilst living upon it. The boys
said the same; and yet we had nothing else to supply its place, and the
small quantity of flour left would not admit of our using more than was
barely necessary to sustain life. At this time we had hardly any fish
left, and the whole party were ravenously hungry. In this dilemma, I
determined to have the sick horse killed for food. It was impossible he
could ever recover, and by depriving him of life a few hours sooner than
the natural course of events would have done, we should be enabled to get
a supply of food to last us over a few days more, by which time I hoped
we might again be able to venture on, and attempt another push to the
westward.

Early on the morning of the 16th, I sent the overseer to kill the
unfortunate horse, which was still alive, but unable to rise from the
ground, having never moved from the place where he had first been found
lying yesterday morning. The miserable animal was in the most wretched
state possible, thin and emaciated by dreadful and long continued
sufferings, and labouring under some complaint, that in a very few hours
at the farthest, must have terminated its life.

After a great portion of the meat had been cut off from the carcase, in
thin slices, they were dipped in salt water and hung up upon strings to
dry in the sun. I could not bring myself to eat any to-day, so horrible
and revolting did it appear to me, but the overseer made a hearty dinner,
and the native boys gorged themselves to excess, remaining the whole
afternoon by the carcase, where they made a fire, cutting off and
roasting such portions as had been left. They looked like ravenous wolves
about their prey, and when they returned to the camp at night, they were
loaded with as much cooked meat as they could carry, and which they were
continually eating during the night; I made a meal upon some of the
sting-ray that was still left, but it made me dreadfully sick, and I was
obliged to lie down, seriously ill.

April 17.--Being rather better to-day, I was obliged to overcome my
repugnance to the disagreeable food w