CONDUCT OF THE MEN.

When I reached the party and told the tale of the total disappearance of all we had left at the depot blank and dismayed faces met me on all sides.  Mr. Walker and Corporal Auger set an excellent example to the others; but two men, of the names of Harry and Charley Woods, seized the first convenient opportunity of walking off to the place where our miserable remnant of damper was deposited with the intention of appropriating it to themselves.  I only waited till they actually laid their hands upon it, when I stopped them, placed a sentry over what provisions were left, ordered a survey of all stores to be held, and a report to be made to me; and then went off with a party to search the shore in the hope of finding any other things which might have been washed up:  our search however proved quite unsuccessful.

CHOICE OF PLANS.

I had warned the men that at sunset I would inform them what my intentions were with regard to our future movements; and in the meantime all hands were employed in searching for provisions or in preparing the boats for sea.  A very gloomy prospect was before us:  the men were already much reduced from illness, from using damaged provisions, and from hard work and exposure combined:  our boats were in a very leaky unsound state, whilst all means of efficiently repairing them had been swept away in the hurricane.  Add to this that the only provisions we had left really fit to eat were about nine days’ salt meat, at the rate of a pound a man per diem, and about sixty pounds of tolerably good flour.

It would be useless to detail the different reasons which induced me to adopt the plan of endeavouring to make Swan River in the whale boats; this was however the course I resolved to pursue.  Its principal advantages were that we should be constantly approaching home; and that if any accident should happen to the boats we might always hope to reach Perth by walking:  the principal objection to it was the prevalence of strong south-east winds.  At sunset the party assembled.  I detailed to them at considerable length the three most feasible plans which had offered themselves to me, the reasons which had made me reject two of them, as well as those which led me to adopt the third; and as I knew that there were two or three insubordinate characters amongst the men, whom I had picked up at Fremantle, I further told them that, if a sufficient number to man one of the boats objected to follow me, they could go their own way; as the success of my scheme would altogether depend upon the courage and subordination with which it was carried out.  No dissentient voice was however raised, but they all promised to follow me wherever I might lead.  We now made arrangements for searching for turtle during the night, and then stretched ourselves on the sand to try and sleep.

March 21.