ed almost entirely of Native Police troopers under his leadership.

On receiving his commission, he pushed rapidly out to the Barcoo, and,
near the Thomson River, came upon another tree marked L. This might have
been made by Leichhardt. He ascended the main watershed, and crossed it
coming down on to the head of the Flinders River. Here he experienced
many hindrances arising from the rough basaltic nature of the country
that borders the northern head-waters of that river. When he finally
debouched upon the wide western plains, he crossed the Flinders, without
recognising it as the main branch, in the search for which he went on
northward. Approaching the Gulf of Carpentaria, he had several encounters
with the aboriginals. As he neared the coast, the bend of the Flinders
brought that river again across his route, and it was then that he came
on some camel tracks, which assured him that the missing party, the
object of his search, had at any rate reached the Gulf safely. On his
outward way Walker may be said to have pursued a course parallel with
that of the Flinders, a little further to the northward.

He pushed on to the Albert River, to replenish his provisions at the
depot provided for the use of the various relief parties. He arrived
there safely, after having had two more skirmishes with the blacks on the
way. He reported the finding of the camel tracks, and having come to the
conclusion that Burke and Wills had probably made for the Queensland
settlements, he decided to follow them thither. He traced out a tributary
of the Flinders, the Saxby, on his homeward route, but saw no more of the
camel tracks, and finally crossed the water-shed on to the rough basaltic
country at the head of the Burdekin. Here his horses suffered so severely
from the rugged nature of the country, that by the time they reached
Strathalbyn, a station on the lower Burdekin, the whole of the party were
well-nigh horseless, as well as almost out of provisions.

Walker was afterwards engaged by the Queensland Government to mark out a
course for a telegraph line between Rockingham Bay and the mouth of the
Norman River in Carpentaria. This work he carried out successfully; but
when at the Gulf, he was attacked by the prevalent malarial fever, and
died there.

10.2. BURDEKIN AND CAPE YORK EXPEDITIONS.

The main portion of eastern Australia was now fairly well known; it had
been crossed from south to north, and from east to west, and it was only