back to the depot he found that this stream, at a point distant from
Carpentaria about 80 miles, divided into two branches, one of which
flowed into the Nicholson River, and the other into the Albert. As an
evidence of the superior quality of the country through which he passed
on his expedition to the south-west he might mention that the horses
travelled as well as if they had been stable fed. He had travelled in
Queensland and New South Wales and had never found horses stand work as
well as those horses did at Carpentaria. On returning to the depot he and
his party rested for three weeks and again started to find the tracks of
Burke and his companions. They had heard that tracks had been seen by Mr.
Walker on the Flinders River, they tried to follow Walker's tracks to the
Flinders, but although he had preceded them only by about two months, his
tracks could not be followed, owing to the rain which had fallen. They
proceeded to the Flinders, but they could find no traces of Burke. They
followed up the river for about 280 miles through a magnificent country.
When they reached this point they left the Flinders, and in less than
twenty miles further got to the watershed of the Thomson, one of the main
heads of the Cooper River. When they had proceeded about 100 miles down
the valley of the Thomson they found a tree which had been marked by a
companion of Landsborough's in a former expedition several years before,
which he was glad to be able to show, as a proof of his knowledge of the
country, to the members of his party who knew nothing of him till about a
week or ten days before he started on the expedition. Having followed
down the valley of the Thomson, through fine country, from the tree
referred to to a point within 270 miles of Burke's depot at Cooper's
River; they were most desirous to have gone to that place but their
supplies were very limited, and the blacks had repeatedly told them
through Jemmy, one of the party, who understood their language, that they
had not seen any exploring parties with camels. They therefore deemed it
the better plan to strike across, about 50 miles, to the Barcoo, the main