110 ARRIVAL OF MR. FINCH. [CH. V. 



with old clothes. Their name for the river was understood 

 to be " Karaula." This interview took place on the day, 

 previous to my return to the camp. 



The boat was already in the water, and every thing 

 packed up, for the purpose of crossing the river, when Mr. 

 Finch approached the camp, and I hastened to congratulate 

 him on his opportune arrival. But he told a dismal tale — 

 two of his men having been killed, and all the supplies, 

 cattle and equipment, having fallen into the hands of the 

 natives. This catastrophe occurred at the ponds of " Go- 

 rolei," beyond Mount Frazer, which Mr. Finch had reached, 

 after having been distressed, even more than our party had 

 been in the same place, for want of water. This privation 

 had first occasioned the loss of his horse and several other 

 animals, so that his party had been able to convey the supplies 

 to these ponds, by carrying forward from the dry camp, only 

 a portion at a time, on the two remaining bullocks. Mr. 

 Finch at length succeeded in thus lodging all the stores at 

 the ponds, but being unable to move them further without 

 the assistance of my cattle, he left them there, and proceeded 

 forward on foot along our track with one man, in expectation 

 of falling in with my party, at no great distance in advance. 

 After ascertaining that we were not so near as he hoped, and 

 having reached the Gwydir, and traced our route along its 

 banks, until he again recognised Mount Frazer ; he returned 

 at the end of the second day, when he found neither his 

 tents nor his men to receive him, but a heap of various arti- 

 cles, such as bags, trunks, harness, tea and sugar canisters, 

 &c. piled over the dead bodies of bis men, whose legs he, at 

 length, perceived projecting. Tlie tents had been cut in 

 pieces ; tobacco and other articles layabout; and most of the 

 flour had been cari'ied off, although some bags still remained 

 on the cart. The two bullocks continued feeding near. This 

 spectacle must have appeared most appalling to Mr. Finch, 

 uncertain, as he must have been, whether the eyes of the 

 natives were not then u[)on him, while neither he nor his 



