BY HON. A. NORTON. 21 



friends, their brother John also accompanying them. They 

 were taken by a com-se which Avas generally better than 

 that they had come by, but the last two miles of their day's 

 jom'ney were so boggy that even the fresh horses stuck 

 occasionally. On 6th March, just before dark, they pulled 

 up on the river opposite the camp, but as soon as they got 

 out of their own country the new boys were useless as guides, 

 and the brothers had to pilot themselves. They crossed 

 to the camp next morning ; one horse had died during 

 their absence, and some of the cattle were missing. Tliis 

 necessitated further loss of time, and three of the cattle 

 could not be found. However, they built a raft similar 

 to that made before, but larger, and they killed a beast 

 for rations. The river was still 200 yards wide when they 

 commenced the business of crossing on 9th March ; the 

 cattle with one exception, they got safely over, and also 

 the horses. The raft answered admirably, but on the 

 last trip, Cowderoy, who could not swim, was put on board. 

 Unfortunately, he overturned it, and although he got ashore 

 safely, the raft and all it carried, went to the bottom, and 

 was recovered only with difficulty. The Cape York blacks 

 decamped during the night. In crossing the creek, which 

 had blocked the brothers when they started in search of 

 the settlement, and which they again had to swim, they 

 lost yet another horse. Still their ill-luck followed them, 

 for it took them two hours on the following day to drive 

 the cattle through the scrub on Wommerah Creek, and 

 when they were counted, 30 of them were missing : of these, 

 five were not recovered. At last, on 14th March, they 

 arrived at Bullock Point, where they x^itched camp, and 

 made a home for those of the cattle which were left to them. 

 When the necessary work of forming the station had been 

 completed, John was left in charge of it, and Frank and 

 Alick returned with their father to Brisbane in H.M.S. 

 Salamander. Mr. Richardson returned by the same 

 opportunit}^ and in the Surveyor- General's office occupied 

 himself in compiling a map showing the route they had 

 followed ; in this the error in connection with the River 

 Lynd was rectified. 



My tale is told, and in conclusion I desire only to add 

 that when I read of the splendid and fearless achievements 



