298 BREAK UP THE EXPEDITION, 
had no right to lead a young enthusiastic friend into 
a peril from which escape seemed to be all but hope- 
less ; and painful as it would be to us both to separate 
under such circumstances, there was now no other 
alternative ; the path of duty was plain and impera- 
tive, and I was bound to follow it. 
On the 28th, I took the opportunity, whilst walking 
down to the beach with Mr. Scott, of explaining the 
circumstances in which I was placed, and the decision 
to which I had been forced. He was much affected 
at the intelligence, and would fain have remained to 
share with me the result of the expedition, whatever 
that might be ; but I dared not consent to it. 
The only man left, belonging to the party, was 
the one who had accompanied me towards the head 
of the Great Bight, and suffered so much from the 
heat on the 6th January. His experience on that 
occasion of the nature of the country, and the climate 
we were advancing into, had, in a great measure, 
damped his ardour for exploring ; so that when told 
that the expedition, as far as he was concerned, had 
terminated, and that he would have to go back to 
Adelaide with Mr. Scott, he did not express any 
regret. I had ever found him a useful and obedient 
man, and with the exception of his losing courage 
under the heat, upon the occasion alluded to, he had 
been a hardy and industrious man, and capable of 
enduring much fatigue. 
The native boys I intended to accompany me in 
my journey, as they would be better able to put up 
