1841

January 1st, 1841.
A luncheon was given to Mr. Winter today, and although I would have preferred to use my money for more useful purposes, I could not resist the impetuous persuasion. A lot of health was drunk and finally mine too, from Dr. Harvey suggested. I made a little pathetic ( 064 ) speech that I'm ashamed of now. When I got home, Gottfried told me that the native had gone away.

January 7th, 1841.
At dusk two natives, Muntalta* and Yutalta, came to me, which I, at Mr. Matthew Smith's request, then provided with biscuits and meat as much as they wanted to eat, inasmuch as they were wanted on a new journey to Coffin Bay. Around this time I wrote my 7th report to the Society, a letter to the Hanover Aid Society and to my brother Friedrich.

January 10th, 1841. Sunday.
The "Abeona" with Lady Franklin(097) and entourage on board arrived in the Bay from Adelaide, with which I received a letter from my brother Adam and several from the Bretheren in Adelaide.

January 11th, 1841.
This morning at 9 o'clock we, eight in number, namely Winter, Newenham, McEllister, Harry Smith, myself, and three constables, with the two natives, set out for Coffin Bay. I rode Matthew Smith['s] big mare and often took Yutalta behind me. When we were near the spring of Palanna*, we saw a fire a few miles away, which our companions suspected was the murderer. So we rode towards it and found three young people there, fast asleep and carrying the remains of a recently killed kangaroo. We set up our overnight quarters at the Palanna spring.

January 12th, 1841.
We rode in a straight direction towards Coffin Bay (Muthabakka*) and then along the beach in a north-westerly direction, over a very ( 065 ) rocky and desolate country. In the afternoon we came across two waterholes not far apart. From here we could see a fire on the other side of an arm of the bay, and since it was still high in the day, our guide, Winter, suggested we ride there. But our natives, who now numbered five, did not like this at all, and Muntalta stayed behind. The following day he was seen in Port Lincoln. As we approached the fire our natives became restless, and Yutalta suggested that we stay behind while he brought the murderers to us. When we were so close that we expected to see them at any moment, one of our number went ahead and gave a loud shout when he saw them. Immediately everyone, about thirty in number, jumped up, the women and children and also a few men, to flee, while the rest quickly grabbed their spears and ran towards us. However, they dropped the spears when they saw that we were not attacking them,