w extracts from
Giles's book, "Australia Twice Traversed" (Sampson Low & Company), for
this contains the version of the leader of the expedition himself as to
the circumstances under which Gibson was lost. In all, it seems, Giles
made five exploring expeditions into and through Central South Australia
and Western Australia from 1872 to 1876. Speaking of his second
expedition, Mr. Giles says: "I had informed my friend, Baron Von Mueller,
by wire from the Charlotte Waters Telegraph station, of the failure and
break-up of my first expedition, and he set to work and obtained new
funds for me to continue my labours. I reached Adelaide late in January
1873, and got my party together. We left early in March of 1873, and
journeyed leisurely up-country to Beltana, then past the Finnis Springs
to the Gregory. We then journeyed up to the Peake, where we were
welcomed by Messrs. Bagot at the Cattle Station, and Mr. Blood of the
Telegraph Department. Here we fixed up all our packs, sold Bagot the
waggon, and bought horses and other things. We now had twenty
pack-horses and four riding-horses."

We next come to the introduction of Gibson. "Here a short young man
accosted me, and asked me if I didn't remember him. He said he was
'Alf.' I thought I knew his face, but I thought it was at the Peake that
I had seen him; but he said, 'Oh, no! Don't you remember Alf, with
Bagot's sheep at the north-west bend of the Murray? My name's Alf
Gibson, and I want to go out with you.' I said, 'Well, can you shoe? Can
you ride? Can you starve? Can you go without water? And how would you
like to be speared by the blacks?' He said he could do everything I had
mentioned, and he wasn't afraid of the blacks. He was not a man I would
have picked out of a mob, but men were scarce, and he seemed so anxious
to come, so I agreed to take him.

"Thus, the expedition consisted of four persons--myself (Ernest Giles),
Mr. William Henry Tietkins, Alf Gibson, and James Andrews; with twenty-
four horses and two little dogs. On Monday, 4th August, we finally left
the encampment."

Now here is the passage in which Mr. Giles describes his dramatic parting
with Gibson. It will be found in the chapter marked "20th April to 21st
May 1874": "Gibson and I departed for the West. I rode the 'Fair Maid of
Perth.' I gave Gibson the big ambling horse, 'Badger,' and we packed the
big cob with a pair of water-bags that contained twenty gallons. As we
rode