ead the scrubs on the tributaries, but this, far from improving
the travelling, made it worse as they got into a maze of scrub,
heath, and swamps, through which they had to thread their course.
They, had therefore, to make their way back to the river, which was
again struck in about 7 miles. It was here running north, the bed
free from fallen timber, and about 150 yards wide, and so full and
flooded as to make it impossible to discover whether it was within
the tidal influence or not. Following the river for 4 miles, making
a total journey of 12, the rain pouring the whole day, the party
camped on the bank, where alone grass was to be found, and that even
very poor and thin. Two of the horses "Tabinga," and "Pussey," had
to be left about three miles back from the camp with their saddles,
utterly knocked up. A lame heifer was killed and cut up for jerking,
on the morrow. Course N.W. by N. Distance 12 miles. (Camp LXXXII.)

'January' 29.--This day was devoted to rest, with the exception of
the necessary duties of jerking the beef of the heifer, and preparing
for the start of the Brothers to find Somerset. The horses left
behind were sent for and brought into camp, and dispositions made for
a halt, until the return of the Leader. The packs, saddles, and
stores were "overhauled," and found for the most part to be
completely rotted, from the constant rain and severe duckings they
had undergone, making the party congratulate themselves that they
were near their destination. At the request of Frank Jardine, Mr.
Richardson plotted up the route, as far as this camp, and gave him
his position on the chart, with a note "that camp 82 was on the
Escape River, eight miles in a direct line from where it joins the
sea, and sixteen miles from Somerset." In this, as in the case of
the position of the Lynd, he was mistaken, the reason for which, he
states to be that his sextant was out of order. This was much to be
regretted, as failing the correctness of the surveyor's observations,
Mr. Jardine might just as well trust to his own dead reckoning. It
might be supposed that Mr. Richardson having had an opportunity of
checking his position by the bearing to Cape Grenville, when he
sighted the sea on the 20th inst, at camp 74, should have been able
more accurately to have determined his present position, but he
excuses himself on the score of the difficulty of estimating the
daily distance whilst walking.* This is a very admissa