The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-08-22 00:00:00

A TALE OF TERRIBLE SUFFERING.

The DON, (Australia Dispatch contains the following ac-
count of terrible suffering supplied by a Bourke corrapom
dent, who writes "The report I to-day send you will serve
to show what a man may endure in these sterile regions. I
have hail ma.y canes of hardship to record, hut this of Mr.
Bradley, of the firm of Cobb and Co., is certainly one of the
most fearful I have ever known. Nlen have wrestled with
rible agony and died, toil. since I have been on the river
n.) one has gone through as ninth ard lived to relate the
event. I shall nothing extenuate nor set down, but an nearly
as possible tell the tale as I have gleaned it from the sufferer
himself." tie says:—
. .

I started from Yanda, on the Darling, about the 9th
of April last, with a buggy and two horses, for Gitly-
scabambo, back country, belonging to us, south of the
Darling, a distance of eighty miles, without water.
I had horses I depended on, but after going thirty
tulles through the bush one of them knocked up, and
I hail to camp. When I started I had only two
bottles of water, which were now consumed. This
camp I considered about thirty miles south of Toorale ;
I say south, but having no compass, cannot be
cert:tin. I started next morning, one horse still very
well, and went about seven miles, when I believed
Di) 0. If too much to the cost; changed my course due
south, or what I supposed south, and travelled forty
or fifty miles, and found myself among mountains.
These mountains or high ridges running in all aorta of
forms and directions, caused me to admit that I was
in unknown country, and no water. The day bad
been very warm, and a painful sensation in the throat
an.l tongue was felt. The horse was compleely done.
lit re I camped. By daybreak I was after the horses,
and found they had left me in the night. Found their
tacks with much toil (for I had eaten nothing since I I
warted ; in fax', hunger I never felt.) Followed them
ten miles in a N.W. direction. About ten o'clock I
o me up to my best horse, the other nowhere to be
seen ; and being in a fainting state from thirst, opened
with my knife the neck vein, and drank more than a
quart II blood. This horrible draught gave use much
relief, but it wee voided almost as soon as taken. I
here rested, being quite exhausted, my poor horse
over leaving me ; in fact, whenever I lay down,
I did towards the end of the jouniey every mile
or so, he wouhl stop, come back, and neigh. When I
tv;:tin started fled him N.W., the course he was going
when I recovered him. This point I felt sure was
the nearest to the river. About three o'clock I
found a kurragong tree, and as well as I was able
for my knees trembles! and my arms felt power-
less—stripped away some of its bark, which I chewed,
and fund the sweet moisture of much benefit in
clear Mg my throat and tongue; and I felt convinced,
should any one be in the like strait and have strength
to procure plenty of this I ark, it would preserve life
ft rit day or two. At four p.m., I again drank blood
with exactly the same result. My poor horse Sydney,
a'l as, was now literally staggering. All day it had
isco very hot, but at night it becsme quite cool; and
I tesolved to long-hobble my horse and follow lion;
the reason of bobbling him was that, weak as he was,
lie could outwalk me, and even then I had to follow
the sound of the chains. After going about six miles
thus, he started into a reeling canter and stopped in a
dry creek called Mulranya ; here I knew where I was,
mil followed him to Marrandina and laid down; when
I strain started the horse was gone. Ten miles had
now to he got over, which took me about seven hours,
vs hen I reached one of my ON n tanks at Nulltrania,
fifteen miles from the Darling, where I had sheep.
'llO. horse, Sydney, likewise found the tank, drank,
rolled, and died; the other horse got in the next day,
and plunging headlong into the water, was drowned."