Narrative Of The Overland Expedition Of The Messrs. Jardine, From Rockhampton To Cape York, Northern Queensland By Frank Jardine And Alexander Jardine
- Page 127 of 205 - First - Home
A Lame Heifer Was Killed And Cut Up For Jerking,
On The Morrow.
Course N.W. by N. Distance 12 miles.
(Camp LXXXII.)
'January' 29. - This day was devoted to rest, with the exception of
the necessary duties of jerking the beef of the heifer, and preparing
for the start of the Brothers to find Somerset. The horses left
behind were sent for and brought into camp, and dispositions made for
a halt, until the return of the Leader. The packs, saddles, and
stores were "overhauled," and found for the most part to be
completely rotted, from the constant rain and severe duckings they
had undergone, making the party congratulate themselves that they
were near their destination. At the request of Frank Jardine, Mr.
Richardson plotted up the route, as far as this camp, and gave him
his position on the chart, with a note "that camp 82 was on the
Escape River, eight miles in a direct line from where it joins the
sea, and sixteen miles from Somerset." In this, as in the case of
the position of the Lynd, he was mistaken, the reason for which, he
states to be that his sextant was out of order. This was much to be
regretted, as failing the correctness of the surveyor's observations,
Mr. Jardine might just as well trust to his own dead reckoning. It
might be supposed that Mr. Richardson having had an opportunity of
checking his position by the bearing to Cape Grenville, when he
sighted the sea on the 20th inst, at camp 74, should have been able
more accurately to have determined his present position, but he
excuses himself on the score of the difficulty of estimating the
daily distance whilst walking.* This is a very admissable
explanation, considering the tedium and slowness of their progress in
winding through scrubs, and being delayed by crossings, the
tortuousness of their route making it difficult to keep the course.
It was the more unfortunate, therefore, that the sextant, which was
naturally depended upon for keeping them informed of their progress,
should have been allowed to become so deranged, as to be less
reliable than the result of mere dead reckoning.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 127 of 205
Words from 34183 to 34546
of 55599
