ing for food, and not to have the power of
satisfying them; they were young and had large appetites, and never
having been accustomed to any restraint of this nature, scarcity of food
was the more sensibly felt, especially as they could not comprehend the
necessity that compelled us to hoard with greater care than a miser does
his gold, the little stock of provisions which we yet had left.

April 6.--The severe frost and intense cold of last night entirely
deprived me of sleep, and I was glad when the daylight broke, though
still weary and unrefreshed. After clearing out the well, and watering
the horses, I sent one of the boys out to watch them, and gave the other
the gun to try and shoot a wallabie, but after expending the only two
charges of slugs I had left, he returned unsuccessful. At night we all
made up our supper with the bark of the young roots of the gum-scrub. It
appears to be extensively used for food by the natives in this district,
judging from the remnants left at their encamping places. The bark is
peeled off the young roots of the eucalyptus dumosa, put into hot ashes
until nearly crisp, and then the dust being shaken off, it is pounded
between two stones and ready for use. Upon being chewed, a farinaceous
powder is imbibed from between the fibres of the bark, by no means
unpleasant in flavour, but rather sweet, and resembling the taste of
malt; how far a person could live upon this diet alone, I have no means
of judging, but it certainly appeases the appetite, and is, I should
suppose, nutritious.

April 7.--Another sleepless night from the intense cold. Upon getting up
I put a mark upon the beach to guide the overseer to our camp on his
return, then weighed out flour and baked bread for the party, as I found
it lasted much better when used stale than fresh. I tried to shoot some
pigeons with small gravel, having plenty of powder but no shot. My
efforts were, however, in vain, for though I several times knocked them
over, and tore feathers out, I killed none. The day being very clear, I
ascended the highest sand-hill to obtain a view of what had appeared to
us to be a long point of land, stretching to the south-west. It was now
clearly recognisable as the high level line of cliffs forming the western
boundary of the Great Bight, and I at once knew, that when we left our
present position, we could hope for no water for at least 140 or 150
miles beyond.

The weather on the 8th and 9th suddenly became