at Dalton perished on his
return to that settlement. After their departure, the party, then
consisting of five men, lived two or three days on wild berries and
their kangaroo jackets, which they roasted; at length they arrived at
Gordon's River, where it was agreed, that while Mathers and Pearce
collected fire-wood, Greenhill and Travers should kill Bodnam, which they
did. It was insisted upon, that every one should partake of Bodnam's
remains, lest, in the event of their ultimate success to obtain their
liberty, any of them might consider himself innocent of his death, and
give evidence against the rest. After a day or two, they all swam across
the river, except Travers, whom they dragged across by means of a pole,
to which he tied himself. Having spent some days in distress and famine,
it was proposed to Pearce, by Greenhill and Travers, that Mathers be
killed, to which he agreed. Travers and Pearce held him, while Greenhill
killed him with an axe. Living on the remains of the deceased, which
they were hardly able to taste, they spent three or four days, through
weakness, without advancing beyond five of six miles; Travers being
scarcely able to move from lameness and swelling in his foot. Greenhill
and Pearce agreed to kill Travers, which Greenhill did while Pearce
collected fire-wood. Having lived some time on the remains of Travers,
they were for some days without any thing to eat; their wants were
dreadful: each strove to catch the other off his guard, and kill him.
Pearce succeeded to find Greenhill asleep; took his life--and lived upon
him for four days. He was afterwards for three days without any
sustenance; fell in, at last with the Derwent River, and found some
small pieces of opossum, &c., at a place where the natives had lately
made fires. More desirous to die than to live, he called out as loudly
as he could, expecting the natives would hear him, and come to put an
end to his existence! Having fallen in with some bushrangers, with whom
he was taken, Pearce was sent back to Macquarie Harbour, from whence he
escaped with Cox, as has been already stated, for whose death he is now
about to suffer."--_Hobart Town Gazette_, 1824.]

[Footnote 170: _Ross's Almanack._]

[Footnote 171: "The fact was also corroborated by Brady, when examined
by the gentleman from whom I got the account; and, strange as it may
appear, it is perfectly correct."--_Breton's New South Wales_, p. 340.]

[Footnote 172: _Gazette_, 1825.]