CHAPTER XXIX 

 LEICHHARDT'S OVERLAND EXPEDITION, 1844-5, continued 



28TH JUNE, 1845. ATTACKED BY NATIVES. GILBERT KILLED. ROPER AND CALVERT 

 WOUNDED. JOURNEY (WESTWARD AND SOUTHWARD) RESUMED, IST JULY. LEICH- 

 HARDT'S OWN SUMMARY OF RESULTS. SALT WATER, 7TH JULY. CROSS NASSAU 

 RIVER. CROSS VAN.DIEMEN RIVER, 9 JULY. GILBERT RIVER, IZTH JULY. 

 NORMAN RIVER, I4TH JULY. CARON RIVER, I/TH JULY. BEAME'S BROOK. 

 NICHOLSON RIVER. ROUND SOUTH END OF GULF OF CARPENTARIA. REACH PORT 

 ESSINGTON, iyTH DECEMBER. RETURN TO SYDNEY. LEICHHARDT'S SECOND 

 EXPEDITION. AN ATTEMPT TO CROSS THE CONTINENT TO THE SWAN RIVER 

 SETTLEMENT. INADEQUATE PREPARATIONS. LEAVES JIMBOUR, yTH DECEMBER, 



1846. TURNS BACK FROM PEAK RANGE. REACHES CONDAMINE RIVER, 6TH JULY, 



1847. THIRD EXPEDITION, TO CONNECT HIS LINES WITH SIR THOMAS MITCHELL'S 

 AT ROMA. RETURN TO JIMBOUR, SEPTEMBER, 1847. FOURTH EXPEDITION, FROM 

 THE CONDAMINE TOWARDS THE SWAN RIVER SETTLEMENT. STARTS MARCH, 1848. 

 MYSTERY OF THE FATE OF LEICHHARDT AND HIS PARTY. LEICHHARDT'S PERSONAL 

 CHARACTER. 



T Leichhardt's camp on 28th June, 1845, a terrible disaster 

 overtook his party. (SEE MAP H.) 



" After dinner," says Leichhardt, " Messrs. Roper and Calvert retired to their 

 tent, and Mr. Gilbert, John Murphy and the aboriginal Brown were platting palm 

 leaves to make a hat. Gilbert then retired with John to the tent. This was about 

 seven o'clock, and I stretched myself upon the ground as usual, at a little distance 

 from the fire, and fell into a dose, from which I was suddenly roused by a loud noise 

 and a call for help from Calvert and Roper. NATIVES had suddenly ATTACKED us. 

 They had doubtless watched our movements during the afternoon and marked the 

 position of the different tents ; and as soon as it was dark sneaked upon us and threw 

 a shower of spears at the tents of Calvert, Roper and Gilbert, and a few at that of 

 Phillips, and also one or two towards the fire. 



" Charley and Brown called for caps, which I hastened to find, and as soon as they 

 were provided they discharged their guns into the crowd of the natives, who instantly 

 fled, leaving Roper and Calvert pierced with several spears and severely beaten by 

 their waddies. Several of these spears were barbed and could not be extracted without 

 difficulty. I had to force one of them through the arm of Roper, to break off the 

 barb ; and to cut another out of the groin of Mr. Calvert. John Murphy had succeeded 

 in getting out of the tent and concealing himself behind a tree, whence he fired at the 

 natives, and severely wounded one of them before Brown had discharged his gun." 



GILBERT was KILLED outright. 1 On coming out of his tent, 



1 Macgillivray, who was Naturalist on the " Rattlesnake," wrote in September, 1849: 

 " I am convinced that some at least of the collisions which have taken place in 

 Australia between the first European visitors and the natives of any given district have 

 originated in causes of offence brought on by the indiscretion of one or more of the party 

 and revenged on others who were innocent. As a memorable instance I may give that 

 which happened during Leichhardt's overland journey to Port Essington, when his 



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