which I have taken--the flesh, I may say, completely
cleared from the bones, and very little hair but what must have
been decomposed; what little there was, I have taken. Description
of body: Skull marked with slight sabre cuts, apparently two in
number--one immediately over the left eye, the other on the right
temple, inclining over right ear, more deep than the left; decayed
teeth existed in both sides of lower jaw and right of upper; the
other teeth were entire and sound. In the lower jaw were two
teeth--one on each side (four between in front) rather projecting,
as is sometimes called in the upper jaw "back teeth." I have
measured the bones of the thigh and leg as well as the arm with a
cord, not having any other method of doing it; gathered all the
bones together and buried them again, cutting a lot of boughs and
other wood and putting over top of the earth. Body lies head south,
feet north, lying on face, head severed from body. On a small tree
immediately south we marked "MK, 21st Oct., 61." Immediately this
was over we questioned the native further on the subject of his
death. He says he was killed by a stroke from what the natives call
a sword (an instrument of semicircular form, five to eight feet
long, and very formidable). He showed us where the whites had been
attacked when encamped. We saw lots of fish-bones, but no evidence
there on the trees to suppose whites had been there. They had
certainly chosen a very bad camp, in the centre of a box scrub,
with native huts within 150 to 200 yards of them. On further
examination we found the dung of camels and horse or horses
evidently tied up a long time ago. Between that and the grave we
found another grave, evidently dug with a spade or shovel, and a
lot of human hair of two colours, that had become decomposed in the
skin of the skull and fallen off in flakes, some of which I have
also taken. I fancy they must all have been murdered here. Dug out
the new-found grave with a stick, the only instrument we had, but
found no remains of bodies, save one little bone. The black
accounted for this in this manner--he says they had eaten them.
Found in an old fireplace immediately adjoining what appeared to be
bones very well burnt, but not in any quantity. In and about the
last grave named, a piece of light blue tweed and fragments of
paper, and small pieces of a Nautical Almanac were found, and an
exploded Eley's cartridge; no appearance on any of the trees of
bullet m