creek towards Adelaide
by Mount Hopeless, and shall endeavour to follow Gregory's track; but we
are very weak. The two camels are done up, and we shall not be able
travel faster than four or five miles a day. Gray died on the road from
exhaustion and fatigue. We have all suffered much from hunger. The
provisions left here will, I think, restore our strength. We have
discovered a practicable route to Carpentaria, the chief portion of
which lies on the 140th decree of east longitude. There is some good
country between this and the Stony Desert. From there to the tropic the
country is dry and stony. Between the tropic and Carpentaria a
considerable portion is rangy, but it is well watered and richly
grassed. We reached the shores of Carpentaria on 11th February, 1861.
Greatly disappointed at finding the party here gone.

(Signed) ROBERT O'HARA BURKE, Leader.

April 22nd, 1861.

P.S.--The camels cannot travel, and we cannot walk, or we should follow
the other party. We shall move very slowly down the creek.

KING'S NARRATIVE

Mr. Burke requested Mr. Wills to go up the creek as far as the Depot,
and to place a note in the plant there, stating that we were then living
on the creek, the former note having stated that we were on our road to
South Australia. He also was to bury there the field-books of the
journey to the Gulf.

Mr. Wills being returned, it was decided to go up the creek and live
with the natives, if possible, as Mr. Wills thought we should have but
little difficulty in obtaining provisions from them if we camped on the
opposite side of the creek to them. He said he knew where they had gone,
so we packed up and started. Coming to the gunyahs where we expected to
have found them, we were disappointed, and seeing a nardoo field close
by, halted, intending to make it our camp. For some time we were
employed gathering nardoo, and laying up a supply.

Mr. Wills and I used to collect and carry home a bag each day, and Mr.
Burke generally pounded sufficient for our dinner during our absence,
but Mr. Wills found himself getting very weak, and was shortly unable to
go out to gather nardoo as before, nor even strong enough to pound it,
so that in a few days he became almost helpless. Mr. Burke now proposed
that I should gather as much nardoo as possible in three days, and that
with this supply we should go in search of the natives--a plan which had
been urged upon us by Mr. Wills as the only chance of saving him