did not find the
nardoo, we should starve, and that he intended to save a little
dried meat and rice to carry us to Mount Hopeless. The three of us
then came to the conclusion that it would be better to make a
second attempt to reach Mount Hopeless, as we were then as strong
as we were likely to be, our daily allowance being then reduced.
Mr. Burke asked each of us whether we were willing to make another
attempt to reach the South Australian settlements, and we decided
on going; we took with us what remained of the provisions we had
planted--two-and-a-half pounds of oatmeal, a small quantity of
flour, and the dried meat: this, with powder and shot, and other
small articles, made up our swags to thirty pounds each, and Mr.
Burke carried one billy of water; and I another. We had not gone
far before we came on a flat, where I saw a plant growing which I
took to be clover, and on looking closer saw the seed, and called
out that I had found the nardoo; they were very glad when I found
it. We travelled three days, and struck a watercourse coming south
from Cooper's Creek; we traced this as it branched out and
re-formed in the plains, until we at last lost it in flat country;
sandhills were in front of us, for which we made, and travelled all
day but found no water. We were all greatly fatigued, as our
rations now consisted of only one small Johnny cake and three
sticks of dried meat daily. We camped that evening about four
o'clock, intending to push next day until two o'clock P.M., and
then, should we not find water, to return. We travelled and found
no water, and the three of us sat down and rested for one hour, and
then turned back. We all felt satisfied that had there been a few
days' rain we could have got through: we were then, according to
Mr. Wills's calculation, forty-five miles from the creek. We
travelled, on the day we turned back, very late, and the following
evening reached the nearest water at the creek. We gathered some
nardoo and boiled the seeds, as we were unable to pound them. The
following day we reached the main creek; and knowing where there
was a fine waterhole and native gunyahs, we went there intending to
save what remained of our flour and dried meat for the purpose of
making another attempt to reach Mount Hopeless. On the following
day Mr. Wills and I went out to gather nardoo, of which we obtained
a supply sufficient for three days, and finding a pounding stone at
the gunyahs, Mr. Burke and I poun