I therefore ordered the men to come
slowly and steadily on, and as I foresaw that they would want more water
ere long, I rode ahead to send them some. On my arrival at the creek I
was sorry to find both Mr. Poole and Mr. Browne complaining, and very
much indisposed. During the short time we had been at this spot, the
water in the lagoon had rapidly diminished, and was now not more than a
foot deep and very muddy. Fearing that the quality of the water was
disagreeing with my officers, I ordered a well to be dug in the bed of
the creek, from which we soon got a small quantity both clearer and
better. Having despatched Joseph with a fresh supply for the party with
the drays, I sat down to break my own fast which I had not done for many
hours. In speaking to Mr. Browne of the intense heat to which we had been
exposed in the pine forest, he informed me that the day had not been very
hot with them, the thermometer not having risen above 94 degrees at 2 p.m.
The drays reached the creek at 3 a.m. on the morning of the 2nd, both men
and cattle fairly worn out. I had hoped they would have arrived earlier,
but the men assured me that shortly after I left them the heat was so
great they could hardly move onwards. The ground became so heated that
the bullocks pawed it to get to a cool bottom, every time they stopped to
rest. The upper leathers of Mack's shoes were burnt as if by fire, and
Lewis's back was sadly blistered.
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