Appendix. lxiii 



In thus far extending our scope of action, we have, moreover, 

 been impelled by a deeply-felt persuasion that it is a holy duty of 

 all Australia to leave nothing undone which might shed light on the 

 destiny of one who stands second to none, and above most of the 

 explorers of this country — a man who unfolded first to the 

 astonished world the treasures and resources of a vast extent of 

 this great continent, the richest dependency of the British Crown. 



The first tidings of the recorded awful termination of Dr. Leich- 

 hardt's enterprise were obtained in 1850, by Mr. W. Ogilby, P.M., 

 at, Surat, and Mr. Gideon Lang, now of this city, through a black- 

 fellow, at Surat. 



This latter had met a wild native, according to whose account a 

 party of white men and two aborigines, corresponding exactly to 

 the number of Leichhardt's party, had been massacred by the wild 

 blacks, beyond the Maranoa. To accomplish their design, they had 

 watched the party from the very moment of their arrival in the 

 country of these tribes, had sent messengers ahead to arouse the 

 neighbouring hordes of natives, had gradually closed upon them 

 without Leichhardt and his companions having been seemingly 

 aware of the impending danger, had finally and unobservedly sur- 

 rounded them in large numbers, and in the dawn of morning, when 

 the travellers were asleep, crept stealthily on the camp in the 

 bend of a creek, threw a volley of spears on the previously ascer- 

 tained positions of the sleepers, and killed all except one, who, 

 resting a slight distance apart, had sprung up, fired one shot, and 

 killed a natve, but was then immediately speared. The oxen, 

 horses, and mules, it is said, were then killed, the latter not with- 

 out a desperate struggle to break their hobbles ; but the native 

 related, that two of the bullocks succeeded in breaking their hobbles, 

 and that these were the only animals which escaped the slaughter. 

 The savages perpetrating this destruction were beyond the inter- 

 course of white men, and when plundering the camp left the tobacco 

 and flour, then unknown to them, scattered on the ground, but dis- 

 played a particular eagerness to possess themselves of the bright 

 red blankets, known to have been provided by Leichhardt for his 

 party. 



After hearing of this catastrophe, Mr. Lang at once resolved 

 to set out from Mount Abundance, in long. 148deg. 40min. 

 E., and lat. 26deg. 50min. S., where Dr. Leichhardt finally quitted 

 the settlements, in order to test the truth of these tidings. 



Mr. Lang took with him the man Walker, who afterwards was 

 engaged for Mr. Hovendon Hely's party, and was accompanied by 

 two stockkeepers and two blackfellows, the stockmen availing them- 

 selves of this opportunity to search for cattle. Mr. Lang, unable to 

 pick up Leichhardt's then obliterated track at Mount Abundance, 

 struck across to Sir Thomas Mitchell's Depot Camp at the Maranoa, 

 found on that river Mitchell's as well as Kennedy's tracks, but no 



