I had very little assistance from Walker’s previous discoveries as he had left instructions that while his chart and journal were in Captain Norman’s charge no one should be allowed to take notes from them.  I tried to follow Mr. Walker’s tracks to the Flinders River where he reported he had left the tracks of Burke’s party.  After tracing Mr. Walker’s tracks for four days with considerable difficulty we reached plains near the Leichhardt River where so much rain had fallen on the rich soft soil that it was impossible to trace them further.

From the Leichhardt River we travelled over well-watered country to the Flinders River; then travelled up that river, through fine rich pastoral country, to about latitude 20 degrees 40 minutes; from there we reached Bowen Downs in a few miles.  The creeks and the river that water that country I knew previously to a certain point down the river, but beyond this point I did not know where the river flowed.  On this expedition I followed it down to near its junction with the Barcoo River (formerly known as the Victoria and as the Cooper) and discovered that it was the Thomson River.  After leaving the well-watered country of Bowen Downs, with the assistance of one of the blacks of that locality, we came through a fine rich country to the Barcoo River; then without following the river further, or searching ahead for water, we went across to the Warrego River without the horses being at any time longer than a day and part of a night without water.  The country is therefore, I have no doubt, on the whole well watered.

From the Warrego River we tried to go to the south-eastward, but, from not knowing the country, we had to return, owing to the want of water.  On this occasion, although the weather was cold, the horses suffered very much.  We travelled almost incessantly, day and night.  In going from and returning to water the horses were without it for seventy-two hours.  In returning we found water in a creek in which we had found no water at the place we crossed it in our outward route.  If I had had plenty of rations I probably would have searched with one of the aborigines for water before taking the whole of the horses on a journey of that kind.  Afterwards we followed the river down to near Kennedy’s Number 19 Camp to the station of Messrs. Williams, where we met with a most hospitable reception and learned for the first time the melancholy fate of Messrs. Burke and Wills.  Sold some expedition supplies which we thought we would not require any more, and bought rations to take us here.

Following the Flinders River up from the Gulf of Carpentaria took us for a long distance in a more southerly than easterly direction, then in a more easterly than southerly direction.  About twenty miles below where we left the Flinders River we saw horse tracks, which were probably made by Mr. Walker’s party when on his route from the Nogoa River to the depot at the Gulf of Carpentaria.  Where we saw the tracks