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[Page 174]

May [1883]

It looks so strange to see a house
in the middle of the bush like
this. We enjoyed our supper
immensely, & were glad to get into a
bed once more at about 12 o'clock.
There are 3 or 4 men about the
place besides 2 or 3 niggers half
(civilised.) There is a man cook &
a labourer or two. Crawford used
to be the telegraph master here
about 2 years ago, so he feels
quite in his element up here.
The way they manage about
rations is, the Government
send up supplies, once a year, &
a certain number of sheep &
cattle. They kill a sheep in
summer every 2 days. I don't
know how they manage in
winter. I forgot to say that at
about 2 o'clock we stopped for
a few minutes & had some
sugar to eat & a pannikin
of water each, having nothing
else to eat & all of us being
hungry. We finished the
water then too. We have done
80 miles in all without
water, & took 59 hours over it.