March 16.

I moved off at dawn this morning with a party, but after following the direction of the stream for several miles I found that the whole of the land between it and the foot of the hills had been rendered by the heavy rains a marsh quite impassable for horses, which was rendered the more annoying as the swamp was not more than a mile in width, so that this slight space alone prevented us from pursuing our desired route.  Nothing however was now left us but to turn once more to the north-west, and thus to endeavour to head the marsh.

Danger from natives.

Just as we had prepared to return home the cries of the natives arose close to us; their fire was about half a mile away, and their calls had already several times been heard.  Now that they were so near us I thought it better to load my second barrel with ball, for I did not like their hanging about us in the way they had done for several days.  On putting my hand into my haversack in order to prepare some ammunition I found, to my great dismay, that I had taken in mistake one which belonged to another man and which contained no ammunition; nor was there a ball in possession of any person with me which would fit my gun and, as I knew that the aim of those with me was not much to be depended on, even under the coolest and most favourable circumstances, I thought that in the moment of a desperate attack it might be still less sure; this, added to the want of confidence incident on finding oneself unarmed and dependent on the protection of others, made me feel very uncomfortable until we once more reached the tents.

Rains continue.  Torrents of rain.

During the early part of the day the rain fell in torrents; but, as it cleared off a little soon after our arrival, we started in a north-westerly direction.  Such violent storms of thunder, lightning, and rain set in when we had made about two or three miles that I was again obliged to halt; and as it continued to rain heavily throughout the night, our situation, which was already bad, might now be said to be hourly growing worse; and it can readily be conceived that, between rheumatism in my wounded limb, lying in water, and vexation at the constant difficulties we experienced, I was too much harassed to be able to sleep.

Swamps.

The continued rain during the night had necessarily rendered the marsh far more impracticable than before; but, as no other route to the southward could be found on account of the river which lay upon either hand, I was compelled to wait until the ground again in some measure dried.  But it would have been equally as impossible to beat a retreat as it was to get forward, for we were in a manner surrounded by swampy land, and when the loads were placed upon the ponies they sank nearly up to the shoulders in a bog in whichever direction we attempted to move; but as our present