taria, where the party had seen
numerous herds of buffaloes.

Mr. Carruthers heard that there was a doctor with the expedition, and on
his interviewing him, the latter said he would see me, provided I paid
the fee to the resident doctor. This professional etiquette was agreed
to. The doctor took great pains in diagnosing my case, which he called
something between a gastric and jungle fever, and prescribed five grains
of calomel every night. This I found later to have loosened my teeth,
and 15 grains of quinine daily seriously affected my hearing. The local
chemist was then sent for. He felt my pulse, looked at my tongue, and
prescribed a box of Holloway's pills. I paid him his fee of one guinea,
but almost needless to say which advice I followed.

I remained in Burketown about a fortnight, slowly recovering. Before
leaving I purchased a microscope which was for sale, and presented it to
the doctor of the expedition with sincere thanks for saving my life.
During the time I was in Burketown, Mr. Sharkey, Lands Commissioner,
came over from Sweers Island, and offered to submit my name for the
Commission of Peace, and said Mr. Landsborough, the Police Magistrate,
would swear me in. I declined the honour.

When returning to Clifton Station we spent a week at Floraville Station,
on the Leichhardt River. Here I purchased stores for the station from
Mr. Borthwick, who was managing for Mr. J. G. Macdonald. At this station
there was a water-hole 25 miles long, and in bathing one would see
crocodiles basking on the rocks and bank, but they appeared to be
harmless. At the lower end of this hole there was a perpendicular drop
of over 40 feet, with a very deep hole at the foot, infested by sharks
and alligators. The tides came to this point.

We called at Donor's Hill Station, where I first made the acquaintance
of the Brodie brothers, one of whom afterwards managed Nive Downs for a
number of years. The other--his twin brother--died in New South Wales
not long since, after a long and successful business career. At this
place I visited a cave containing many skulls of blacks, who had been
dispersed by the whites, after committing a series of depredations in
the district. I was told the cave was so dark that matches were lighted
to allow of aim being taken at the blacks during the dispersal.

In later years, I have often thought what fortunes might have been won,
or lost, or the settlement of Western Queensland been advanced by year