These kangaroo mice are elegant little animals, about four inches in
length, and resemble the kangaroo in shape, with a long tail terminating
with a sort of brush. Their habitations are of a conical form, built with
twigs and rotten wood, about six feet in diameter at the base, and rising
to a height of three or four feet. When the natives discover one of these
nests they surround it, treading firmly round the base in order to secure
any outlet; they then remove the top of the cone, and, as the mice
endeavour to escape, they kill them with the waddies which they use with
such unfailing skill. When the nest is found by only a few natives, they
set fire to the top of the cone, and thus secure the little animals with
ease. For the last month we have been reduced to one meal a-day, and that
a very small one, which has exhausted us both very much and made us
almost incapable of exertion. We have now only TWO meals left to take us
to Streaky Bay, which is distant from this place ONE HUNDRED MILES. We
have been forced to boil the tops of the pigface, to satisfy the wants of
nature. Being short of water, we boiled them in their own juice. To a
hungry man they were very palatable, and, had they been boiled in fresh
water, would have made a good vegetable. Yesterday we obtained a few
sow-thistles, which we boiled, and found to be very good.

Wednesday, 18th August, Bectimah Gaip. Rested the horses and obtained a
few shell-fish from the beach: there are very few, which was a
disappointment to us.

Thursday, 19th August, Bectimah Gaip. Started at 8 a.m. for Streaky Bay.
I managed to get thirty miles to-day, which is a great help. I only hope
that Mr. Gibson is at Streaky Bay, so that we may be able to get
something to eat; we must endure three days' more starving before we
shall be able to reach there.