yards at a time, then some one of them would sit down and beg me so earnestly to stop for a few minutes that I could not refuse acceding to the request; when however I thus halted the native in every instance expressed his indignation, telling me that it was sacrificing his safety as well as those of the others who were able to move, for that if we did not find water ere night the whole party would die.  He was indeed as weak from want of food as any of us, for we had made such rapid and lengthy marches in the hope of speedily forwarding assistance to those left behind that when we came at night to the conclusion of our day’s journey Kaiber was too much exhausted to think of looking for food.

About two o’clock in the afternoon the men were so completely exhausted that it was impossible to induce them to move, and at this period I found that we had only made about eight miles in a south by east direction, over plains studded with small sandy hills and the beds of dried up tea-tree swamps.

When I halted the sun was intensely powerful; the groans and exclamations of some of the men were painful in the extreme; but my feelings were still more agonized when I saw the poor creatures driven, by the want of water, to drink their own ——­, the last sad and revolting resource of thirst!

Unsuccessful search for water with Kaiber.

Unable to bear these distressing scenes any longer I ordered Kaiber to accompany me, and notwithstanding the heat and my own weariness I left the others lying down in such slight shade as the stunted banksias afforded, and throwing aside all my ammunition, papers, etc., started with him in search of water, carrying nothing but my double-barrelled gun.  We proceeded towards the sea.  As the natives have the faculty, even in the trackless woods which they have never before been in, of returning direct to any spot they have left by however circuitous a course they may have travelled after quitting it, I paid no attention to the direction we were moving in but followed Kaiber, who roamed from spot to spot in the vain search of water; but we found not a drop.  The same arid barren country seemed spread on every side; and when at length I began occasionally to stumble and fall from weakness hope abandoned me, and I determined to return direct to my comrades and get them to make one more effort to proceed and search for it in a southerly direction.

Treacherous intentions of Kaiber, the native.

I therefore told Kaiber that such was my intention, and directed him to guide me to the party.  With apparent alacrity he obeyed my orders; but after leading me about some time in an extraordinary manner he told me that he had lost his way and could not find them.  His look was so very plausible when he said this, and he seemed so grieved at the circumstance, that for a moment I believed his tale; but I felt convinced