About two miles from
the drays we saw Kirby wandering away from the track and called to him.
This man would infallibly have been lost if we had not thus accidentally
seen him. On reaching the party I found that Lewis had somewhat
exaggerated the state of affairs, still the men were bad enough, although
they had not then been 36 hours without water.
Notwithstanding that the moon had risen behind clouds, the first sun of
the new year (1845) rose upon us in all his brightness, and the
temperature increased as he advanced to the meridian. As Jones was with
the hindmost drays, I sent Sullivan on my horse with some water for him,
and ordered Flood to precede me with two of the drays along a flat I had
noticed as I rode along, by which they would avoid a good many of the
ridges. Sullivan returned with Jones about half-past ten, who, he told
me, so far from wanting water had given all I had sent him to the dogs.
As there were twelve bullocks to each dray I was obliged to give the
drivers assistance, and consequently had to leave Jones by himself in the
forest. I allowed him however to keep two of the dogs, and gave him four
gallons of water, promising to send for him in two days. I then mounted
my horse to overtake the teams, which by the time I came up with them had
got on better than I expected. But the heat was then so intense that I
feared the bullocks would drop.
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