ry's letter of the 16th of October,
together with your orders directing me to proceed to the interior for the
purpose of ascertaining the fate of Mr. Cunningham, I proceeded with the
party on the 24th of October for Buree, which place I left on the 29th,
accompanied by Sandy (the black native mentioned in my instructions). On
the 2nd November I fortunately met with two blacks who knew the
particulars of a white man having been murdered on the Bogan, also the
names and persons of the perpetrators of the deed; they likewise offered
to accompany the police to where the tribe to which the murderers
belonged were encamped; I accordingly took them as guides, and on the
evening of the 6th they informed me they could see the smoke from fires
of the Myall blacks--on the borders of a lake called Budda. On arriving
on the banks of the lake we found a tribe encamped, consisting of upwards
of 40 men, women and children, all of whom we succeeded in making
prisoners, without any resistance on their part. Having questioned them
as to the murder of a white man, they acknowledged to one having been
killed on the Bogan by four of their tribe, three of whom they delivered
up, the fourth they stated was absent on the Big river. On searching the
bags of the tribe we found a knife, a glove, and part of a cigar case
which the three blacks acknowledged they had taken from the white man,
and which Muirhead* said he was sure belonged to Mr. Cunningham.

(*Footnote. Muirhead was one of my men, who, with Baldock, was sent with
this officer.)

The three murderers, whose names are Wongadgery, Boreeboomalie and
Bureemal, stated that they and another black, about six moons ago, met a
white man on the Bogan, who came up to them and made signs that he was
hungry, that they gave him food, and that he encamped with them that
night. The white man repeatedly getting up during the night excited
suspicion, and they determined to destroy him the following morning,
which they did by Wongadgery going unperceived behind him, and striking
him on the back of the head with a nulla-nulla, the other three then
rushing upon him with their weapons, speedily effected their purpose.

I then determined to proceed to the spot where the murder was committed,
which I was informed by the blacks was distant three days' journey, but
learning from them that there was a great scarcity of water, I deemed it
advisable to take only a small party, consisting of three troopers and
Mui