l cost and in the finest
condition from South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, and the inland
districts of Queensland to stock the country near the Gulf of
Carpentaria, or for exportation to India or elsewhere.

The road we came was so easy, from the richness of the pasturage and the
abundance of water, that a foal, named Flinders from his having been
foaled on the Flinders River, followed his mother most bravely from the
time he was a few hours old until he reached here. When we were on
Gregory's route to South Australia, and for some time previously, we took
many opportunities of asking the blacks respecting the explorers they had
seen. This we were enabled to do as Jemmy the native police trooper could
speak their language. We learned from them that they had seen during the
last ten moons explorers to the eastward, but that they had seen none
with larger animals than horses.

I am sorry to have to inform you that our familiarity at last led to our
having a hostile collision with them on the Barcoo River, near where the
blacks treacherously tried to take Mr. Gregory's party by surprise during
the night. They tried to take us at night by surprise. If they had
succeeded they would no doubt have overpowered us; but it was during
Jemmy's watch and, as he always kept his watch well, he awoke us when
they were within a few yards of our fire, and we fortunately succeeded in
driving them away. Next morning (very early) two of them came near our
camp. At my request Jemmy warned them to leave us, for we had now a most
hostile feeling towards them. Instead of their showing the least symptom
of leaving us they got their companions (who were in ambush, heavily
armed with clubs and throwing-sticks) to join them. Under these
circumstances we fired on them. In doing so, and in following them up to
where the horses were feeding, one was shot and another slightly wounded
in the leg.

I had very little assistance from Walker's previous discoveries as he had
left instructions that while his chart and journal were in Captain
Norman's charge no one should be allowed to take notes from them. I tried
to follow Mr. Walker's tracks to the Flinders River where he reported he
had left the tracks of Burke's party. After tracing Mr. Walker's tracks
for four days with considerable difficulty we reached plains near the
Leichhardt River where so much rain had fallen on the rich soft soil that
it was impossible to trace them further.

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