in London—­that is to say, at the Charlotte Waters Station—­and he merely remarked, “You, mine, boy, Burr-r-r-r-r, white fellow wurley;” he also said, “Mine, boy, walk, you, yarraman—­mine, boy, sleep you wurley, you Burr-r-r-r-r yarraman.”  All this meant that they would walk and I might ride, and that they would camp with me at night.  Off I went and left them, as I had a good way to go.  I rode and they walked to the Charlotte.  I got the little boy regular meals at the station; but his arm was still bad, and I don’t know if it ever got right.  I never saw him again.

At the Charlotte Waters I met Colonel Warburton and his son; they were going into the regions I had just returned from.  I gave them all the information they asked, and showed them my map; but they and Gosse’s expedition went further up the line to the Alice springs, in the McDonnell Ranges, for a starting-point.  I was very kindly received here again, and remained a few days.  My old horse Cocky had got bad again, in consequence of his galloping with the packhorses, and I left him behind me at the Charlotte, in charge of Mr. Johnston.  On arrival at the Peake, I found that Mr. Bagot had broken his collar-bone by a fall from a horse.  I drove him to the Blinman Mine, where we took the coach for Adelaide.  At Beltana, before we reached the Blinman Mine, I heard that my former black boy Dick was in that neighbourhood, and Mr. Chandler, whom I had met at the Charlotte Waters, and who was now stationed here, promised to get and keep him for me until I either came or sent for him:  this he did.  And thus ends the first book of my explorations.

AUSTRALIA TWICE TRAVERSED.

BOOK 2.

NOTE TO THE SECOND EXPEDITION.

In a former part of my narrative I mentioned, that so soon as I had informed my kind friend Baron von Mueller by wire from the Charlotte Waters Telegraph Station, of the failure and break up of my expedition, he set to work and obtained a new fund for me to continue my labours.  Although the greatest despatch was used, and the money quickly obtained, yet it required some months before I could again depart.  I reached Adelaide late in January, 1873, and as soon as funds were available I set to work at the organisation of a new expedition.  I obtained the services of a young friend named William Henry Tietkins—­who came over from Melbourne to join me—­and we got a young fellow named James Andrews, or Jimmy as we always called him.  I bought a light four-wheeled trap and several horses, and we left Adelaide early in March, 1873.  We drove up the country by way of the Burra mines to Port Augusta at the head of Spencer’s Gulf, buying horses as we went; and having some pack saddles on the wagon, these we put on our new purchases as we got them.