Sunday 9 October 1836

Sunday, 9th October.

Claughton and I again went on shore after dinner with our guns and killed sufficient fowl with yesterday’s sport for two meals. The great scarcity of fresh provisions from which most of us have suffered more or less could alone justify our thus breaking the Sabbath and I feel confident that neither of us would have done it for mere pleasure. We had expended all our ammunition and were returning towards the ship with empty guns when we found ourselves close upon five native huts which as we had no means of defence created a little alarm. It turned, however, that they were vacant and we resumed our journey unmolested but at a rather quicker pace than we had hitherto walked. The weather today is exceedingly fine and nearly calm and tomorrow we expect to get under weigh in search of another river to the Southward.