Rumour has always been rife as to the locality of Leichhardt’s death, and suggestions the most hopelessly unlikely and inconsistent have been put forward and seriously considered.  At the same time, the only two reliable marks, undoubtedly genuine and fitting in in every way with Leichhardt’s projected course of travel, have been neglected.

Leichhardt started from McPherson’s station on the Cogoon, now perhaps better known as Muckadilla Creek.  There was a rumour, never authenticated, that after he had proceeded nearly one hundred miles he sent back a man with a report that he had passed through some splendid pastoral land, but this is not at all likely to be true.  The first indication of him is then met with on the Barcoo (Victoria) whereon A.C.  Gregory, in charge of the Leichhardt Search Expedition, in 1858, found his marked tree and other indications:—­

“Continuing our route along the river (latitude 24 degrees 35 minutes; longitude 36 degrees 6 minutes), we discovered a Moreton Bay ash, about two feet in diameter, marked with the letter L on the east side, cut through the bark about four feet from the ground, and near it the stumps of some small trees that had been cut with a sharp axe, also a deep notch cut in the side of a sloping tree, apparently to support the ridge-pole of a tent, or some similar purpose; all indicating that a camp had been established here by Leichhardt’s party.  No traces of stock could be found; this however is easily accounted for, as the country had been inundated last season.”

There can be little doubt about the authenticity of the trace, and it at once does away with the truth of the stories told to Hovenden Hely by the blacks as to Leichhardt’s murder on the Warrego River.  Gregory then went up the Thomson River but found no other mark, and returning followed that river and Cooper’s Creek down to South Australia.  This camp of Leichhardt’s is easily understood.  Then follows an account of the other found by the same explorer in 1856, during an earlier expedition.  This was on the upper waters of Elsey Creek, and his description of it runs as follows:—­

“The smoke of bush fires was visible to the south, east, and north, and several trees cut with iron axes were noticed near the camp.  There were also the remains of a hut, and the ashes of a large fire, indicating that there had been a party encamped there for several weeks; several trees from six to eight inches in diameter had been cut down with iron axes in fair condition, and the hut built by cutting notches in standing trees and resting a large pole therein for a ridge.  This hut had been burnt apparently by the subsequent bush fires; and only some pieces of the thickest timber remained unconsumed.  Search was made for marked trees, but none were found, nor were there any fragments of iron, leather, or other material of the equipment of an exploring party, or of any bones of animals other than those common to Australia.  Had an exploring party been destroyed