Breakfasted and are just about to get in the horses to have a further search when the natives make their appearance within half a mile of us, making for some of their old huts.  Immediately on observing us made off at full speed.  Mounted the horses and soon overtook one fellow in much fear.  In the pursuit the blackfellow with us was thrown from his horse; the horse followed and came up with us just as we pulled the frightened fellow up.  Immediately after our blackfellow came up, mounted his horse, and requested us at once to shoot the savage, as he knew him to be one of the murderers of the man or party; but we declined, thinking we might be able to glean something of the others from him.  On taking him back from where we caught him to the camp, he brought us to a camp (old) of the natives, and there dug up a quantity of baked horsehair for saddle stuffing.  He says everything of the saddlery was burned, the ironwork kept and the other bodies eaten—­a sad end of the poor fellows.  He stated that there is a pistol north-east of us at a creek which I have sent him to fetch; and a rifle or gun at the lake we last passed which, with the other articles, we will endeavour to recover.  Exceedingly hot; windy and looks as if it would rain.  The natives describe the country from south to north of east as being destitute of water or creeks, which I afterwards found cause to doubt.  I have marked a tree here on north side MK Oct. 22, ’61; west side, Dig 1 ft.; where I will bury a memo in case anyone should see my tracks, that they may know the fate of the party we are in search of.  There are tens of thousands of the flock pigeon here; in fact since we came north of Lake Torrens they have been very numerous and at same time very wary.  Mr. Hodgkinson has been very successful in killing as many of them as we can use, mixed with a little bacon.  Before the native went to fetch the pistol he displayed on his body, both before and behind, the marks of ball and shot wounds now quite healed.  One ball inside of left knee so disabled him that he had to be carried about (as he states) for some considerable time; he has also the mark of a pistol bullet on right collarbone; and on his breast a number of shot—­some now in the flesh but healed.  His family, consisting of four lubras and two boys, remained close to our camp awaiting his return, which he said (from pointing to the sun) would be 10 or 11 o’clock next day.  When called at twenty minutes to 11 p.m. to take my watch, I had not been on duty ten minutes when I observed a signal fire in the direction he had gone, about six miles distant, and wondered he did not make his appearance, but all was quiet for the rest of the night, excepting that at intervals the fire was replenished.

Wednesday, October 23.