September 15th.—­Camp 32.—­Latitude, 27 degrees 44 minuts; longitude, 140 degrees 40 minutes.—­On leaving this morning I went ahead with Sandy, to try and pick up Mr. Burke’s track.  At the lower end of a large waterhole, from which one or two horses had been feeding for some months, the tracks ran in all directions to and from the water, and even as recent as a week.  At the same place I found the handle of a clasp-knife.  From here struck out south for a short distance from the creek, and found a distinct camel’s track and droppings on a native path:  the footprint was about four months old and going east.  I then sent the black boy to follow the creek, and struck across some sandy country in a bend on the north side.  No tracks here; and coming on a native path leading my way, I followed it, as the most likely place to see any signs.  In about four miles this led me to the lower end of a very large reach of water, and on the opposite side were numbers of native wurleys.  I crossed at a neck of sand, and at a little distance again came on the track of a camel going up the creek; at the same time I found a native, who began to gesticulate in a very excited manner, and to point down the creek, bawling out, “Gow, gow!” as loud as he could.  When I went towards him he ran away, and finding it impossible to get him to come to me, I turned back to follow a camel track, and to look after my party.  The track was visible in sandy places, and was evidently the same I had seen for the last two days.  I also found horse traces in places, but very old.  Crossing the creek, I cut our track, and rode after the party.  In doing so I came upon three pounds of tobacco, which had lain where I saw it for some time.  This, together with a knife-handle, fresh horse tracks, and the camel track going eastward, puzzled me extremely, and led me into a hundred conjectures.  At the lower end of the large reach of water before mentioned, I met Sandy and Frank looking for me, with the intelligence that King, the only survivor of Mr. Burke’s party, had been found.  A little further on I found the party halted, and immediately went across to the blacks’ wurleys, where I found King sitting in a hut which the natives had made for him.  He presented a melancholy appearance—­wasted to a shadow, and hardly to be distinguished as a civilized being but by the remnants of clothes upon him.  He seemed exceedingly weak, and I found it occasionally difficult to follow what he said.  The natives were all gathered round, seated on the ground, looking with a most gratified and delighted expression.

September 18th.—­Left camp this morning with Messrs. Brahe, Welsh, Wheeler, and King, to perform a melancholy duty, which has weighed on my mind ever since we have encamped here, and which I have only put off until King should be well enough to accompany us.  We proceeded down the creek for seven miles, crossing a branch running to the southward, and followed a native track leading to that part of the creek where