Corporal Larnach’s Report 30 January 1833. Supplement 2

Before nightfall we set up camp in a clearing. I had hoped to reach the river, but its winding took it out of way. As the sun went down the fevered men came awake. Mr. McBride has numerous broke bones. His howls of pain upon regaining consciousness were harrowing, and with naught but rum and a rag to bite to dull the pain. But his is the most lucid of the three. Mr. Sudds, the other convict worker suffers a head wound that may have affected his brain. He mutters continuously and tears at the wound, which then bleeds profusely. Private MacDougall has had to bind his hands at the back. Mr. Bigge is perhaps the worst, though he suffers no visible trauma, as night fell be became irate. He begged us to protect him, and then tried to run away into the bush. Stubbs brought him down easily enough. He fights and rages at us, then cry and pleads. He is convinced the tree ghost is coming for him. Then he laughs like the maniacs of bedlam, damning us all. He sweats like a sickly horse. His face is white like the moon. I pity his wife when she sees him in this state.

We have just lost the horses. We saw them bolt away startled. It will be at least a two day march back to the homestead with the horses gone and with wounded men. I reassure the men that we will retrieve them in the morning.

I have ordered the campfire extinguished. We will not spend another night being harassed from the veil of shadows. Flynn and Constable Thompson will guard the wounded, and the Privates and I will patrol the area. These primitives may think they are safe from us in the night, we shall show them they are not.