several remarks like that until we arrived there. When we got near, he
said, "I suppose they have shifted to some other part of the creek." It
was Mr. Wills who first saw the tree-mark, and saw the things scattered
about the stockade. He saw the words, "Dig three feet to the
north-east," or north-west; I am not certain which. When he saw the date
at which they came to the camp, and the date at which they left, he said
at once, "They have left here to-day. If they had shifted to any other
part of the creek, they would not have marked this." We set to work
digging up the plant. We did not know where they had gone to, but
thought they had left some instructions. Mr. Burke was too much excited
to do anything, and Mr. Wills and myself dug up the plant. I got the
bottle there and Mr. Burke said: "Whatever instructions they have left
are in this bottle." I then opened it and handed it to him. When he had
read it, he informed us that the other party, except Paton, and that the
animals were in good working order, and that on account of no person
coming up to them, they had made a start for Camp 60, taking a course
S.E. for Bulloo. Mr. Burke then said it was madness to attempt to follow
them, as their men were in good order, and their camel too. He said we
could not expect to make forced marches, and catch them up. Had the
latter said they were in a weak state, as it appeared they were, we
should have tried at any rate to overtake them. We remained at the creek
a few days, and Mr. Burke and Mr. Wills had a consultation as to what
was best to be done.

We left no provisions behind us, but took everything with us. When we
had consumed all the sugar but 12 lb. we gave some balls of it to the
camel. For a few days our principal food was porridge, which we
preferred to anything else. We boiled it with water and sugar. In going
down towards Mount Hopeless, we found we could not carry all the things
we brought with us. We had to leave the camel-pads and such things. We