BURKE AND WILLS, THE EXPLORERS. 147 



and villages springing up everywhere, with millions 

 of sheep and cattle on the frontier " runs," there were 

 vast regions in the north which were as yet, even to 

 the oldest Australian settler, a terra incognita. What 

 is the nature of that great lone-land ? Are there 

 mountains, are there streams, vast prairies of rich 

 grasses, innumerable game ? Or are there parched, 

 arid and sterile wastes of sand, where the traveller, as 

 on the African deserts footsore, wearied, hungered, 

 but, most of all, athirst stretches himself upon the 

 sands to die, leaving his poor bones to be picked by 

 the vultures, and bleached by the unpitying sun ? 



These were questions which awaited their answer- 

 ing. Who will venture to tell us all about this great 

 unknown ? A Mr. Kyte had offered 1,000 towards 

 exploring the interior; the Victorians contributed 

 handsomely ; while the Government also was liberal 

 in its offer to outfit an expedition. Wealthy men 

 and busy merchants were ready in every possible 

 way to encourage it, but who will face the responsi- 

 bility of conducting an expedition so full of doubt and 

 danger ? 



These brave men consented to assume command. 

 Wills was a surveyor, a native of Geelong. Burke, an 

 Irishman by birth, had been for some years a sub- 

 inspector of police in Melbourne. Wills was the more 



