However, as soon as he had
had a little rest, I sent Morgan with a spare horse for their empty casks
to replenish them. At 2 o'clock I sent Flood with four gallons of water
to the nearest bullock that had fallen. About 11 Brock came up with the
sheep all safe and well. Flood returned at 7, with information that the
bullock was dead, but night closed in without our seeing anything of
Morgan, and having nothing to eat we looked out rather anxiously for him.
The water on which we rested was at some little distance from the creek,
in a long narrow lagoon, but we had scarcely any shade from the intense
heat of the sun, the water being muddy, thick, and full of frogs and
crabs. I have observed upon the extreme and increasing heat that
prevailed at this time. Notwithstanding this, however, the night was so
bitterly cold that we were glad to put on anything to keep us warm. Our
situation may in some measure account for this extreme variation of
temperature, as we were in the bed of the creek which might yet have been
damp, as its surface had only just dried up; perhaps also from exposure
to such heat during the day we were more susceptible of the least change.
Be that as it may, certain it is that as morning dawned on this occasion,
when the thermometer stood at 67 degrees, we crept nearer to our fires
for warmth, and in less than six hours afterwards were in a temperature
of 104 degrees.
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