bust state of health that I always enjoy
when in the bush; a tremendous appetite, and can eat anything. One
of our chief articles of consumption is horseflesh: it is very
nice; you would scarcely know it from beef. Give my love to all, and

Believe me,

Ever your affectionate brother,

WILLIAM J. WILLS.

. . .

Here we find my son, between the 1st and 15th of December,
travelling about five hundred miles, and walking from eighty to
ninety. McDonough, in his examination, gave altogether a falsified
account respecting the loss of the camels, as he also made a
bombastic statement of his great intimacy with Mr. Burke. The real
truth is, that McDonough was the least trustworthy of the party. He
would not have been taken by my son, but in the morning Mr. Burke
had volunteered to accompany him, so that McDonough would not have
been left alone; but after travelling a short distance, Mr. Burke
did not feel well, and returned. At the place mentioned by my son
as having dismounted, he told McDonough that he wished to make some
observations, and was going to a rising ground at a distance; that
the camels should feed, but he was not to lose sight of them for an
instant. Instead of attending to his instructions, McDonough set to
work to light a fire and boil his pannikin. Perhaps he went to
sleep; for he pointed out some stunted bushes in the distance and
said they were the camels. My son then sent him to search for them,
but they could not be found. King, the only survivor of the party,
on his examination, said:--

Mr. Wills told me that the camels were lost through
McDonough's neglect during the time he was writing and taking
observations.

Question 1737. McDonough never disputed that, did he?--McDonough
told me that it was while they were at supper in the evening; but I
do not see how that could be, because they generally took supper,
and ourselves, about six o'clock; and it was so dark that they
could not see the camels, so that they were most likely lost when
Mr. Wills was taking observations.

. . .

Mr. Burke, in his report from Cooper's Creek, dated December
the 13th, says:--"Mr. Wills, upon one occasion, travelled ninety
miles to the north, without finding water, when his camels escaped,
and he and the man who accompanied him were obliged to return on
foot, which they accomplished in forty-eight hours. Fortunately,
upon their return they found a pool of water. The three camels have
not yet been recovered. . .M