Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in North-West and Western Australia, Volume 2Grey, George
History
Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in North-West and Western Australia, Volume 2
Grey, George
Natural history -- Australia -- Western Australia; Western Australia -- Discovery and exploration
The morrow's dawn found me on my way with Kinchela and Warrup to search
for poor Smith, while Mr. Spofforth proceeded with the three rescued men
and Wyip to join our party at Kadjelup, 12 miles off. At the distance of
a mile and a half we found the guns of Mr. Walker and Mr. Smith, which
the men had buried among the sandhills from inability to carry them any
further. A close scrutiny of the beach brought us, at the end of ten
miles, to a spot where Warrup observed the traces of feet in the sand.
Following them up, they ascended a bare sandhill to the height of twelve
or fourteen feet, turned short round to the left, and there terminated at
the unfortunate object of our search, extended on his back, lifeless, in
the midst of a thick bush, where he seemed to have laid himself down to
sleep, half-enveloped in his blanket. The poor fellow's last bed appeared
to have been selected by himself; and at the distance of three or four
yards from him lay all the trifling articles which had constituted his
travelling equipage. These were his wooden canteen, his brown felt hat,
and haversack, containing his journal, shoes, tinder, steel, gun-screw, a
few small canvas bags which he had used for carrying shellfish, and a
small bag with thread, needles, and buttons. Life seemed to have been
extinct rather more than two days; and from the position of the head,
which had fallen considerably below the level of the body, we were led to
conclude that a rush of blood into the brain had caused his death, and at
last without much suffering.
BURIAL OF MR. SMITH.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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