Even in this cold and foul weather, we's did erect the beacon though.  High on a promontory there stood a large flagstaff, placed here by the Hardwicke settlement to alert any shipping of their scant towns  existence. What a sparse time they made of this severe land. Never were they going to succeed from the day they left, and never they did. A man can't tame this place, but only with luck can leave alive. All of seven feet off the ground, we's affixed a large triangle of wood as the beacon to this towering flagstaff on the hill. With eight stout nails at the apex  and a further six on the bottom it should hold steadfast against the gravest of elements. Upon our marker, the designated Inscription read " H.M.S. Blanche Painted and Refitted Beacons, Examine Replenish Necessaries, March 1869". We's were here in late summer and bad it's been now, but these blighters might have to stand the wholeness of a cruel winter. Pity is nary the word,  god save their souls.

Over to the right of the staff and beacon,, across the cleared area on the top there was another marker of a former voyage. A large tree, or the sad  remains of it. One of these tort Rata trees by fact. And down the sea ward facing side a large sawn flat face, with a deeper inscription than our own. The words read, "H.M.C.S. VICTORIA Norman, (that was the capins name) In Search of Shipwrecked People  Oct 13, 1865" and then the names of several people below. It seemed these names were the crew of their ship "Blanche".

Lopped off at the top were all of the upper branches of this sole tree. The dismembered arms attempted to reach upward, but finished, abrupt in a saw cut. And it had been painted all over, black and white to attract any  attention of some desperate soul. Seen, it could be from quite some  distance about the bay and it was because of this we had decided to erect our beacon on the flagstaff near the ghosting shape of this "Victoria" tree. To cut the inscription in this "Victoria Tree" must have taken some effort. Deep were the incised letters and longer their message and it had to be carried out here on the windy knoll top. Ours had been carved in the  comfort of the cabins of the steam ship as we lay in the bay and hardly cut the surface of the timber. They could only endure the weather for each single letter till the full message was sliced into the hard wood. 

That they had been here as we, but had spent longer we couldn't doubt.  The tree stood as their mark. They had fired guns to alert any stranded beings at regular intervals as they sailed bout the shores. At the same time, they had released animals as food for the castaways, but little else was found. Musgrave was on board. He is a legend of these parts. What man would  spend twenty months castaway , build a boat and sail it in a full storm for  five days and nights without a wink of sleep back to the colony, then  turn his tail to sail back as soon as he could to rescue his mates and finally embark on another trip to set up provision depots and search for  other poor souls castaway as he had been. Martyr of fool, I can't  decide, but I do admire him.

We carefully left some more vital supplies in the depot before we at last turned to leave  . Flour, sugar, tea and another rifle with ammunition. There is game aplenty if one can find it about the tangle of trees upon  the land. We spotted one of the pigs grunting through the scrub,  but it was soon gone at sight of us, no doubt hard to shoot. Some bottles of rum, unopened to boot, salt and some dry clothes. May  the man that needs these find them in time, for he deserves them  all in the brassy winds of this land.