200 PART OF MR. Cunningham's coat found, [ch. hi. 



camp, without finding in it a single pond. They had traced 

 the continuation of his track to where it disappeared near 

 some recent fires, where many natives had been encamped. 

 Near one of these fires, they found a portion of the skirt or 

 selvage of Mr. Cunningham's coat ; numerous small frag- 

 ments of his map of the colony ; and, in the hollow of a tree, 

 some yellow printed paper, in which he used to carry the 

 map. The men examined the ground for half a mile all 

 around without finding more of his footsteps, or any traces of 

 him, besides those mentioned. It was possible, and indeed, 

 as I then thought, probable, that having been deprived by 

 the natives of his coat, he might have escaped from them by 

 going northward, towards some of the various cattle stations 

 on the Macquarie. 1 learnt that when the men returned 

 with these vestiges of poor Cunningham, there was great 

 alarm amongst the natives, and movements by night, when 

 the greater part of the tribe decamped, and amongst them 

 the fellow with the handkerchief, who never again appeared. 

 The chief; or king (as our people called him), continued with 

 us, and seemed quite unconscious of anything wrong. This 

 tribe seemed too far from the place, where the native camp 

 had been, to be suspected of any participation in the ill 

 treatment with which we had too much reason to fear, Mr. 

 Cunningham had met. As we had no language to explain, 

 even that one of our party was missing, I could only hope, 

 that, by treating these savages kindly, they might be more 

 disposed, should they ever see or hear of Mr. Cunningham, 

 to assist him to rejoin us. To delay the party longer was 

 obviously unnecessary; and, indeed, the loss of more time 

 must have defeated the object of the expedition, considering 

 our limited stock of provisions. 



I, therefore, determined on proceeding by short journeys 

 along tlie Bogan, acconij)anied by these natives, not altoge- 

 ther without the hope, thiit Mr. Cunningham might still be 

 brought to us, by some of them. 



