debil Waterhole, and to wait there for each other. If any one of us did
not come after a certain time, we were to conclude that he had found the
adventurers and was making his way back with them. After a day of
painful travel and little water, Marshall and I arrived, almost within an
hour of each other. We could see no sign of anybody having been at the
lagoon. We waited twelve hours, and were about to go, leaving a mark
behind us to show we had been there, when we saw the rouseabout and his
exhausted horse coming slowly through the bluebush to us. He had
suffered much for want of water.

We all started back again at different angles, our final rendezvous being
arranged for the station homestead, the rouseabout taking a direct line,
and making for the Little Black Billabong on the way. I saw no sign of
the adventurers. I sickened with the heat, and my eyes became inflamed.
I was glad enough when, at last, I drew rein in the home paddock. I
couldn't see any distance, though I was not far from the house. But when
I got into the garden I saw that others had just arrived. It was the
rouseabout with my wife's lovers. He had found Billy nursing Eversofar
in the shade of a stunted brigalow, while Bingong was away hunting for
water. Billy himself had pushed his cause as bravely as possible, and
had in fact visited the Little Black Billabong, where--he always
maintains--he had seen the great Bunyip. But after watching one night,
they tried to push on to the Debil-debil Waterhole. Old Eversofar, being
weak and old, gave in, and Billy became a little delirious--he has denied
it, but Bingong says it is so; yet he pulled himself together as became
the leader of an expedition, and did what he could for Eversofar until
the rouseabout came with food and water. Then he broke down and cried--
he denies this also. They tied the sick man on the horse and trudged
back to the station in a bad plight.