Stuart's Journal--News of the Missing Expedition--Charlie Departs.
Next morning Morton told Charlie that, as the natives had turned up,
he could go and explore the site of the crater, but he must be back
within three days. Columbus was made to understand that the six
blacks were to remain in the camp, otherwise they would share the
fate of their countrymen. As there was a good supply of game, fish,
ducks, and pigeons, they could easily live without trespassing on the
rations of the whites. As Charlie was not to leave before an hour or
so before sundown, he had ample time to make his preparations.
Meantime the others went seriously to work transcribing the journal,
which took them the greater part of the day.
The result of their labours was as follows:--
_Stuart's Journal._
"September, 1848.--We have been fortunate in striking a well-watered
river, but--" (Here there was a portion mutilated.)
"September 12.--Still these aimless journeys to the westward, across
plains, barren and waterless, and which are so loose and cracked that
every time we make an attempt we lose some of our animals.
Fortunately, we have this fine river running north and south to fall
back on. The men are very discontented, and the prospect ahead is
anything but bright.
"September 16.--Two more horses knocked up by this obstinate pushing
into an impassable desert. Klausen and I must remonstrate seriously
to-night.
"September 18.--Thank Heaven, we managed to make the Doctor see his
folly, and we are now on the move north to get on to his old track
and work round that way. Everything going on much smoother.
"September 20.--Country still well watered, and travelling easy;
expect soon to--" (Here the journal was undecipherable to the end of
the page, and the succeeding one was dated more than a month ahead.)
"November 2.--We are still on the Doctor's first track round the foot
of the Gulf; but although there is ample feed and water our horses
are falling away, and do not look as well as they did in the dry
country.
"November 3.--Had some trouble with the natives yesterday when
crossing a small river. We had to fire twice at them before they ran
away. Klausen was speared in the arm with a barbed spear, which had
to be cut out."
(Here there was another gap where the journal had been mutilated.)
"December 15.--We are still camped on the river, which the Doctor
called 'The Roper' on his first trip. Klausen's arm prevents our
moving. Inflammation has set in and I am afraid he will die. Blacks
very troublesome.
"December 16.--Klausen died last night; we buried him this morning.
We now leave the Doctor's old Port-Essington track and follow this
river up, south and west.
"December 20.--Getting into dry country again, and the scrub is
becoming very bad. We are scarcely able to force a way through on
foot--"
(Here, for many pages, the journal was so mutilated and discoloured
by water that only an occasional line was intelligible. These seemed
to point to the party being constantly baffled by scrub and dry
country; and also that some of them were attacked by scurvy.)
"You've been in Queensland, Brown?" said Morton when they arrived at
this stage in their transcription. "How do you follow out this
journal?"
"As plain as print. Stuart's journal--at least the part we
have--commences on what is now known as the Diamantina River, I
think. The great dry plains he speaks of are to the westward of that
river, and in a dry season would be impassable to anyone not knowing
the country. By following the river up they would easily cross the
watershed on to the Gulf of Carpentaria waters, and so get on to
Leichhardt's old track."
Brown got a map out of the pack and illustrated thereon what he had
just said.
The next coherent portion of the journal would seem to have been
written after a disaster.
"April 24th, 1849.--There are now only five of us left; two--Hentig
and the Doctor--are both sick. The other two must have died on the
dry stage, as they have not come in here and the blacks would not let
them go back. I have not been able to write my journal for some
days, and as the Doctor cannot write now, no record at all has been
kept. We were just packing up to leave the rocky water-hole in the
scrub where we had been camped for some days, when the blacks
attacked us on all sides. There were so many of them, and they had
such good cover in the scrub, that we fairly had to get away as best
we could without water, or all of our packs. While we were trying to
keep them off a gun burst and nearly shattered the Doctor's hand.
This forced us to hasten our retreat to get him safely away, leaving
some of our horses and mules behind. Immediately on getting out of
the scrub we found ourselves in open stunted forest, covered with
prickly grass. We kept to the south-west until evening and then
camped for a while, for the Doctor and Hentig could go no further.
We had travelled very slowly, and when we camped Kelly asked me how
far I thought we had come. I told him about ten miles. He then
proposed that we should take the freshest horses and go back and try
and get some water, as even if the blacks were camped at the hole
they would be asleep at the time we got there. I agreed with him,
for it seemed hopeless to go on through this dry forest without
water. I suggested, however, that we should take all the animals and
Murphy, and if possible give the blacks a fright. Leaving the two
others to look after the sick men and keep a fire going, we started,
and were singularly fortunate. We got back soon after midnight and
found the blacks camped by the water-hole. They were asleep, having
been feasting on the horses we were forced to abandon. Some awoke,
however, and we immediately rushed into the camp, shouting and
firing. They fled indiscriminately, leaving most of their weapons
behind, and these we heaped on the fires. We were lucky enough to
find two big kegs we had abandoned, and filling these and all the
canteens we had brought, we started back as soon as possible before
the natives recovered from their scare. We reached camp soon after
sunrise, and but for the success of our raid none of us would be
alive now, for that dry forest continued without change or break, day
after day. We hoarded up some of the water for the sick men and
managed to keep them on their horses, but I remember nothing of the
last day, nor how the other two parted from us. Murphy says they
went after what they insisted was a smoke, but he says it was only a
whirlwind passing over burnt country. Kelly found this water-hole
through seeing two white parrots coming from this direction early in
the morning. It is on the edge of the forest, and to the west lies a
great plain, still covered with the same prickly grass. There is a
little coarse grass for the few beasts we have now left, but the
water in the hole is thick and muddy and fast drying up.
"April 25th.--We have been back to try and find the other two men,
but without success; we must stay here--"
(Another break in the narrative here came in, the paper seemingly
having been scorched by fire.)
As it was now getting on for the hour when Charlie's departure on his
trip was to take place, the two men knocked off their work and
assisted him to get away. Fortunately, having Columbus with them,
they were enabled to lighten the packs considerably, as they made him
carry his share. Morton parted with his young relation with some
misgiving--still he liked his pluck, and did not care to baulk him.
By the time the sun disappeared the three of them were mere specks in
the distance of the great plain.
The six natives seemed quite contented to stay where they were, but
both Morton and Brown determined to keep a sharp eye on them. If
they discovered them trying to make for the rock-plain they could
easily overtake them on horseback before they could cross. However,
they were there in the morning, and Brown and Morton settled down to
the continuation of the journal.