particular in wearing it when going into action, otherwise there would
be difficulty in recognising them or each other. O'Connor, myself and
the corporal brought up the rear.

After travelling some distance through grass, which in places was over
our heads, we heard a peculiar chuckle on an island in the bed of the
river. It was decided to send the five boys round to the other side,
whilst we, O'Connor, Sambo, and myself remained, and waited. Towards
daylight we heard shots apparently about a mile down the river, and ran
in their direction. We had not gone far when a big black fellow sprang
up from the river, disappearing in the long grass before I could bring
my rifle to the shoulder. I then heard a shot behind me. We afterwards
found the Myall dead, and eventually reached the place where the blacks
had camped. The boys had previously dispersed most of them. If at any
time I felt a compunction in using my rifle I lost it when I thought of
the murders of Strau, his wife and daughter, and the outrages committed
upon them, and again of the murder, and eating, of two packers a short
time before.

We burnt all the blacks' weapons and several dilly bags containing the
dead bodies of infants which they carried about with them. The stench of
burning human flesh was sickening.

I went with one of the troopers down the river, where the soil at the
roots of a large gum tree had been hollowed out by the water. Underneath
it resembled a huge cave. Without saying anything to me, the trooper
fired two shots into the cave. I then asked, "What are you firing at?"
He replied, "Two fella sit down there." After which he hauled out the
dead bodies of two blackfellows.

On our way back we met the troopers from the Palmer, who were also out
for the same tribe. The Palmer police went on down the river, and we
returned to the Laura Camp quite tired out. The troopers told us the
reason they did not stop at the island on their way down was because it
contained only a mob of old gins, who had knocked up the previous
evening, and could not make the camp.

When preparing to return to Cooktown, O'Connor prevailed upon me to wait
at the police camp while he and the troopers patrolled the road past
Murdering Lagoon. On his return, he told me the blacks had been there
during the wet season, and had dug up Johan Strau's grave, and carried
off the bodies. When I arrived at the place with the teams, I saw the
stains made by the chest of tea the bla