Page:Papers of William Shakespeare Hall, 1861–1895.pdf/147

A party was now being formed under the leadership of Mr. Frank Gregory to explore the terra incognita of the north; and this he joined. The expedition did some twelve months' travelling by land and sea, during which they endured many hardships and dangers, but rendered signal service to the colony. After this he returned to the occupation of his youth; but he had not long settled down to it when Mr. John Wellard, of the Serpentine, prevailed upon him to leave it and come north and open a station for him. They landed the sheep on the North Beach, Cossack, some six weeks behind a like-constituted party of Mr. Padbury's; which did not stay here, but pushed across to the DeGrey. Mr. Hall travelled his stock up to what is now known as Andover and there commenced the first station in the district. He remained there a little short of two years, having thoroughly established the station and tamed the natives, without bloodshed, amongst whom was the native chief known as King Mulangon. He threw up the management on account of ill health and the solitude, there being very few people about the district until the Denison Plains Company came some years later. Returning to the Swan, he went farming some of the land his father had allotted him in 1829; but being offered the vacant managership of the Roebuck Bay Company, he was on the move again. Here he was appointed a justice of the peace; and what with troopers and pensioners (provided by the Government to guard the station) he had quite a little colony under him.