8 
wylie’s statement. 
baking some bread and getting our dinners, I 
questioned Wylie as to what he knew of the sad oc- 
currence of yesterday. He positively denied all 
knowledge of it — said he had been asleep, and was 
awoke by the report of the gun, and that upon seeing 
the overseer lying on the ground he ran off to meet 
me. He admitted, however, that, after the un- 
successful attempt to leave us, and proceed alone to 
King George’s Sound, the elder of the other two 
natives had proposed to him again to quit the party, 
and try to go back to Fowler’s Bay, to the provisions 
buried there. But he had heard or knew nothing, 
he said, of either robbery or murder being first 
contemplated. 
My own impression was, that Wylie had agreed 
with the other two to rob the camp and leave us ; — 
that he had been cognisant of all their proceedings 
and preparations, but that when, upon the eve of 
their departure, the overseer had unexpectedly awoke 
and been murdered, he was shocked and frightened 
at the deed, and instead of accompanying them, had 
run down to meet me. My opinion upon this point 
received additional confirmation from the subse- 
quent events of this day; but I never could get 
Wylie to admit even the slightest knowledge of the 
fatal occurrence, or that he had even intended to 
have united with them in plundering the camp and 
deserting. He had now become truly alarmed ; and 
independently of the fear of the consequences which 
would attach to the crime, should we ever reach a 
