the south, slightly changing the
course of the Creek each time, until it disappeared altogether in a
north-westerly direction. Burke and Wills went forward alone to
reconnoitre, and found that the land as far as they could see stretched
away in great earthy plains intersected by lines of trees and empty
watercourses.

Next day they retraced their steps to the last camp, and realised that
their rations were rapidly diminishing and their boots and clothing
falling to pieces.

Rajah was very ill and on the point of dying, when Burke ordered him to
be shot, his flesh being afterwards dried in the usual manner.

Some friendly blacks, whom they amused by lighting fires with matches,
gave them some fish and a kind of bread called nardoo.

At various times they had tried to learn from the blacks how to procure
the nardoo grain, which is the seed of a small clover-like plant, but
had failed to make them understand what they wanted.

Then Wills went out alone to look for it; but as he expected to find it
growing on a tree, was of course unsuccessful, and the blacks had again
moved off to some other branch of the Creek.

The terrible fate of death from starvation awaited them if they could
not obtain this knowledge, and for several days they all persevered with
the search, until quite by chance King at last caught sight of some
seeds which proved to be nardoo lying at the foot of a sandhill, and
they soon found the plain beyond was black with it.

With the reassurance that they could now support themselves they made
another attempt to reach Mount Hopeless. Burke and King each carried a
billy of water, and the last of the provisions was packed up in their
swags; but after travelling for three days they found no water, and were
forced to turn back to the Creek, at a point where--though they knew it
not--scarce fifty miles remained to be accomplished, and just as Mount
Hopeless would have appeared above the horizon had they continued their
route for even another day.

Wearily they retraced their footsteps to the water and to the prospect
of existence. They at once set about collecting nardoo; two of them were
employed in gathering it, while one stayed in camp to clean and crush
it.

In a few days Burke sent Wills back to the depot to bury the field-books
of their journey north in the cache, and another letter to tell of their
present condition.

When Wills reached the spot he could see no trace of anyone having been
ther