arose in the little band, and Burke, too ardent and impulsive for a leader, was first grieved, and then angered, at what he deemed a want of spirit among some of his men.  On the 19th of October, at Menindie, he left a portion of the troop under the command of Lieutenant Wright, with orders after a short rest to rejoin him at Cooper’s Creek.  It was the end of January before Wright set out for the point indicated.  Meanwhile, as month followed month, bringing to Melbourne no news of Burke’s party, the worst fears were awakened concerning its fate, and an expedition was fitted out to search for the lost heroes.  To young Howitt was given the command, and it was his fortune to unveil the sad mystery that had enveloped their fate.  On the 29th of June, 1861, crossing the river Loddon, Howitt encountered a portion of Burke’s company under the lead of Brahe, the fourth lieutenant.  Four of his men had died of scurvy, and the rest of his little band seemed utterly dispirited.  Howitt learned that in two months Burke had crossed the entire route, sometimes desert, sometimes prairie, between Menindie and Cooper’s Creek, and had reached the borders of the Gulf of Carpentaria, on the extreme north of the continent; also, that he was there in January, enduring the fiercest heat of summer, and men and beasts alike languishing for water, and nearly out of provisions.  It was all in vain that he deplored the tardiness of Wright, and hoped, as he neared Cooper’s Creek, for the coming of those who alone had the means of life for his little squad of famished men.  Equally in vain that Wills with three camels reconnoitred the ground for scores of miles, hoping to find water.  Not an oasis, not a rivulet, was to be found, and without a single drop of water to quench their parched lips they set out on another long and dreary march.  Desiring to secure the utmost speed, Burke had left Brahe on the 16th of December with the sick and most of his provisions at Cooper’s Creek, to remain three months at least, and longer if they were able, while he, with Wills, Grey and King, and six camels, pushed bravely on, determined not to halt till the Pacific was reached.  Battling with the terrible heat, sometimes for days together without water, and again obtaining a supply when they had almost perished for want of it, having occasional fierce conflicts with the natives, and more deadly encounters with poisonous serpents, but with an energy and courage that knew no such word as failure, the indomitable quartette went bravely on.  The wished-for goal was reached, and the heroes, jubiliant though worn and weary, then returned once more to Cooper’s Creek, to find the post deserted by Brahe, and Wright not arrived, while neither water nor provisions remained to supply their need.

[Illustration:  Valley of Launceston, Van Diemen’s land.]