he nets of fish out of their hands as he could, and
shouted out to me to fire. I did so, and they ran off. We collected
five small nets of cooked fish. The reason he would not accept the
fish from them was, that he was afraid of being too friendly lest
they should be always at our camp. We then lived on fish until Mr.
Wills returned. He told us that he had met the natives soon after
leaving us, and that they were very kind to him, and had given him
plenty to eat both on going up and returning. He seemed to consider
that he should have very little difficulty in living with them, and
as their camp was close to ours he returned to them the same day
and found them very hospitable and friendly, keeping him with them
two days. They then made signs to him to be off: he came to us and
narrated what had happened, but went back to them the following
day, when they gave him his breakfast, but made signs for him to go
away; he pretended not to understand them, and would not go, upon
which they made signs that they were going up the creek, and that
he had better go down: they packed up and left the camp, giving Mr.
Wills a little nardoo to take to us.

During his absence, while Mr. Burke was cooking some fish during a
strong wind, the flames caught the gunyah and burned so rapidly
that we were unable not only to put it out but to save any of our
things, excepting one revolver and a gun. Mr. Wills having
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 were
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, or
even strong enough to pound it, so that in a few days he became
almost helpless. I still continued gathering, and Mr. Burke now
also began to feel very weak, and said he could be of very little
use in pounding; I had now to gather and pound for all three of us.
I cont