November 26.

Carpenter died this morning; the poor fellow did not suffer acutely on the approach of death, but the animal energies were destroyed, and they withered away one after another, without pain or struggle.  At eleven o’clock, being Sunday, I read prayers, and in the evening we buried our late companion in the bed of the creek, and I read the funeral service over him.  The natives came again this morning, leaving their spears at a distance, and brought us a few small fish; but remembering their former treachery, we took very little notice of them and showed them they could only expect kind treatment from us, so long as they themselves continued peaceable.  During the last few days we shot a few pigeons and parrots, also a small blue heron.

November 27.

We killed another horse this morning, and had the meat all cut up and on the stage by nine o’clock, with all the appearance of a fine day to dry it.  But about eleven o’clock a heavy thunderstorm came on, and it rained all day.  I kept a fire burning near the stage all night.

November 28.

We were very uneasy at the continued wet weather, as it threatened to destroy the scanty remains of our provision, the flesh already beginning to smell very badly.

November 29.

It was raining heavily all day, and our meat became almost putrid.

November 30.

This day a fresh breeze blew, and there was no rain; I cut up all the meat that would hold together into thin slices, but a great deal of it was quite rotten.  The blood-puddings, tripe, feet, and bones, lasted us till this day.  I saved the hide of this horse for ourselves, the other I had fed our dogs on; Mr. Kennedy having requested me to keep them alive if possible, so that we had to spare a little from our scanty meals for them.

December 1.

The wind was blowing strong from the south-east this morning.  On going up the hill in the afternoon I saw a schooner from the northward beating to the southward.  I supposed her to be the Bramble, as it was about the time Mr. Kennedy had given me expectation of being relieved by water, and I afterwards found I was right in this supposition.

I naturally concluded she had come for us; and full of hope and joy I immediately hoisted a flag on a staff we had previously erected, on a part of the hill where it could be seen from any part of the bay.  We placed a ball above the flag to put the crew on their guard against the natives.  We then collected a quantity of wood, and at dusk lighted a fire, and kept it burning till about half-past seven or eight o’clock.  I then fired off three rockets one after the other, at intervals of about twenty minutes.  I also took a large pistol up the hill, and stood for some time firing it as quickly as I could load it, thinking they might perhaps see the flash of that, if they had not seen the rockets.

December 2.