“Now,” said Macnamara, “you are my prisoner.  I am going to take care of you until you are wanted; and if I see you so much as wink the wrong way I’ll blow your brains out, if you have any.  Here’s your empty gun.  Now march.”

All the men followed.  The country was full of scrub, and they walked through it in Indian file.  Not a bird or beast was killed that day or the next.  A consultation was held at night, and it was agreed to kill Watch in the morning if nothing else turned up, Crow by this time being too hungry to say another word in favour of his dog.  But at daylight an eaglehawk was watching them from a tree, and Brown shot it.  It was soon put in the ashes, and when cooked was divided among the seven.

On the eighth day Macnamara said, “I can smell the ocean.”  His name means “sons of the sea,” and he was born and reared on the shore of the Atlantic.  Sand hummocks were soon seen, and the roar of the breakers beyond could be heard.  Two redbills were shot and eaten, and Spiller and Watch were kept for future use.  On the ninth day they shot a native bear, which afforded a sumptuous repast, and gave them strength to travel two days longer.  When they camped at night a tribe of blacks made a huge fire within a short distance, howling their war songs, and brandishing their weapons.  It was impossible to sleep or to pass a peaceful night with such neighbours, so they crawled nearer to the savages and fired a volley at them.  Then there was silence, which lasted all night.  Next morning they found a number of spears and other weapons which the blacks had left on the ground; these they threw into the fire, and then resumed their miserable journey.  On this day cattle tracks were visible, and at last, completely worn out, they arrived at Chisholm’s station, eleven days after leaving One Tree Hill.  They still carried their guns, and had no trouble in obtaining food during the rest of their journey to Melbourne.

At the same time that Mr. Tyers reported his failure to reach Gippsland, the seven men reported to Walsh their return from it.  The particulars of these interviews may be imagined, but they were never printed, Mr. John Fawkner, with unusual brevity, remarking that “Gippsland appears to be sinking into obscurity.”

Some time afterwards it was stated that “a warrant had been issued for Mr P. Walsh, formerly one of our leading merchants, on a charge of fraud committed in 1843.  Warrant returned ‘non est inventus’; but whether he has left the colony, or is merely rusticating, does not appear.  Being an uncertificated bankrupt, it would be a rather dangerous experiment, punishable by law with transportation for fifteen years.”

But Mr. Tyers could not afford to allow Gippsland to sink into obscurity; his official life and salary depended on his finding it.  A detachment of border and native police had arrived from Sydney by the ‘Shamrock’, and some of them were intended as a reinforcement for Gippsland, “to strengthen the hands of the commissioner in putting down irregularities that at present exist there.”