DISTRESS FROM COLD.
The men made their fire and I lighted mine from theirs; but scarcely was this done ere the rain fell in torrents. I had no blankets or protection of any kind against this, and Kaiber was in the same predicament; so that when the fire was extinguished our position became pitiable in the extreme, for I know not if I ever before suffered so much from cold; and to add to my annoyance I every now and then heard Kaiber chattering to himself, under its effects, rather than singing:
Oh wherefore did he eat the mussels?
Now the boyl-yas storms and thunder make;
Oh wherefore would he eat the mussels?"
At last I so completely lost my temper that I roared out, "You stone-headed fellow, Kaiber, if you talk of mussels again, I'll beat you." "What spoke I this morning?" replied Kaiber; "you are stone-headed. We shall be dead directly; wherefore ate you the mussels?" This was beyond what my patience in my present starved state could endure, so I got up and began to grope about for a stick or something to throw in the direction of the chattering blockhead; but he begged me to remain quiet, promising faithfully to make no more mention of the mussels. I therefore squatted down, in a state of the most abject wretchedness.
CRIPPLED STATE OF THE MEN.
I nearly expired from cold and pain during this inclement night; the rheumatism in the hip in which I had been wounded was dreadful, and I lost the power of moving my extremities from cold. Kaiber must have suffered even more for he had nothing but a shirt on, whereas I had also a pair of trousers. The men were in somewhat better condition for they had a blanket, or rather a piece of one, between each two, and lying together they afforded one another mutual warmth. The long starvation which we had undergone had totally unfitted us all to cope with anything like cold.
April 19.
The rain and clouds protracted the morning dawn until late, which somewhat lengthened our miseries. As soon however as it was light enough to see our way we started, and moved slowly onwards in a south by east direction. The men were all completely crippled from the cold of the night, and it was with the greatest difficulty I could get either them or the native to move. My own energies were however only raised from these calls upon them, and I cheered them on as well as I could. Corporal Coles, my faithful and tried companion in all my wanderings, could scarcely crawl along. The flesh was completely torn away from one of his heels, and the irritation caused by this had produced a large swelling in the groin. Nothing but his own strong fortitude, aided by the encouragement given him by myself and his comrades, could have made him move under his great agony.
Still however we advanced slowly; other lives depended on our exertions; and whenever I reminded the men of this for a minute or two they quickened their pace. Pale, wasted, and weak, we still crawled onwards in the straight line for Perth, which I assured them they would reach on Saturday night or Sunday morning.
RIVER OF RUNNING WATER. PASS THE MOORE RIVER.