Walker's Journal: January 1862

Wednesday, 1st January 1862.
A very dark cloud extended nearly over the sky this morning and I feared we could not move. However it went off more north of us and we proceeded on down the river (?) by a bend of the river on the opposite bank of which were the blacks. We called to them, but could get no answer comprehensible, but when we pointed down the river they did so too. The river, whose general course has been north by east now tended more to the east and at the end of six miles from our camp an old black called out to us. Paddy went to meet him, but could make nothing out of his signs. In another mile leaving the bank of what I then thought was the river to my left, we came upon a fresh water creek. The thunder cloud had burst here and the ground was very boggy, the water running strong off the plains Into the creek. We had to go two miles south southeast before we could cross it and now In attempting to make north west again we had awful work, the ground being all under water and we having to cross what were now large running creeks. At the end of four miles, which took two hours to travel, we stopped to rest the horses for a couple of hours under another sandstone ridge. When we went on we found the sandstone more boggy than the plains and we had to our lead our horses to the edge of a salt water inlet, now however fresh, where the sand gave the horses good footing. Our old black was here again, two or three gins, some children and a cripple who had lost the use of his legs and travelled on his hands and feet. They took to the water, being afraid of the horses. We now ran up on good hard sandstone and from the summit saw the salt water inlet, with numerous branches running under the foot of the range and the river a great way from us to the west. I now was very ill and vomiting, so I determined to return. At the end of four miles wading we reached a dry ridge upon the top of which we camped. The mosquitoes were Intolerable at night and the poor horses kept under the smoke which we kept up all night.

Thursday, 2nd January 1862.
Started at 6 and after passing over the ground deluged yesterday we got on very well. We saw a small party of blacks on one plain, but did not stop to have a parley which after all was not comprehensible. Passed by the lagoon and the range. This range is another instance of what I have mentioned, the plain which divided the watershed of the Norman from that of the Flinders without any perceptible elevation, here rises to the height of 300 feet and forms a sharp/deep ? point, round which the river runs. When we got to the place where the camel tracks wore first seen, Jimmy Cargara tried to ran the course further south south east. He overtook me before I reached the camp and told me he had to give it up as one camel was going to the right, another to the left, and no distinct track was made. This was alarming, for it was at once surmised that there was no one with the camels, moreover, the horse track was not seen. Mr Macalister had according to my instructions removed the camp to the east bank, but I regretted to hear, that although the tracks had been seen, the man we had left had not been found.

Friday, 3rd January 1862.
Moved the whole party thirteen miles down the river. Jingle found a camp fire of Burke’s, but no marked trees. In the evening Jingle and Corem Jimmy set out to examine tracks. They returned and reported that the camels had gone right in to the point at the range down to the water edge and they thought had crossed over. This is very perplexing. The camels had, I saw, frequently turned up large clods of mud.

Saturday, 4th January 1862.
Marginal note: Jimmy Cargara and I today saw under the range the tracks of three camels, but no horse going east south east but each at a short distance from the other. I started Mr Houghton, Corem Jimmy, Jingle and Reding the first thing, with instructions to search for Captain Norman’s marked tree inside of the salt water inlet. With the remainder of the party I moved down to what on the first tour? I had taken for the river but now turned out to be a magnificent reach of fresh water, 100 yards if not more wide, and two miles in length. At the north end I camped, according to the pre-concerted arrangement, and a*oral to the preconcerted arrangement and I saw that Mr Houghtons tracks had passed this way. Shortly after camping, I saw them riding over the plains betwixt us and the river and they soon came into camp. Mr Houghton reported that there were no signs of Captain Norman. He had see the tracks of a horse !!!

Sunday, 5th January 1862.
By observation last night, taking the moon from Aldebaran and Capella, we are in lat. 17° 48’ and the place I had appointed to meet Captain Norman is 17° 47’. Mr Macalister, Mr Moore, Paddy and Jimmy Cargara today made another attempt over the sandstone range from which I turned back on the first, but the salt water arms were so intricate that it was impossible to approach the river,

Monday, 6th January 1862.
Today Cosem Jimmy is looking for the horses, found again the track of the horse and with it the tracks of four men on foot, two of whom only had boots. As these tracks were close to our camp, we all went to examine them and nothing was now more evident than that Burke had unaccountably abandoned the camels and the party was making its way on foot. At first the tracks wore going north west, for what reason I cannot make out, but the salt water and having pulled them up, they turned east by north, their proper course if they wished to hit the Gilbert. Jingle and Jimmy followed the tracks on foot to where they saw the horse had bogged in a creek and they had been compelled to drag him out. Mr Macalister and Reding went with us to the river and on the bank I marked a tree visible right down the reach.

FW
6 JAN
1862
DIG
N 6 FT

Here I buried a bottle with all the information I could remember and took the precaution of making a small fire over the hole to obliterate all signs of digging. I stated that on Thursday I must cut and run on Burke’s tracks

Tuesday, 7th January 1862.
Mr. Macalister, Paddy, Cosem Jimmy and Jingle taking a days ration with them, started to track Burke definitively for at least 10 miles. Rodney today looking for horses saw some blacks cross the river. He made them understand we were tracking four men and one horse and that the men wore hats like him. They immediately pointed east by south then west by south east

Wednesday, 8th January 1862.
This evening Mr Macalister and his party returned. They had tracked the party on foot on a most circuitous route. The men (natives) frequently having to turn down the grass to find the tracks. At last the trail turned up the river again, went into one point and out of it again and into another where was found a tree marked :

B
CXXIX

and another:

SEE
14

Here they had evidently returned to the camels, the tracks and dung of which were all around. It is now supposed two of the party had remained in camp and that the naked footsteps were blacks following them. Moreover Mr Macalisters party had further out seen the tracks of large numbers of blacks, following their trail. They tried digging 14 feet from the tree south east by east, but the ground had evidently never been opened and would require a pickaxe to make much way into it.

Thursday, 9th January 1862.
Whilst the men were packing, Jimmy Cargara and I proceeded to the river an low down as the salt water creeks would allow and there I marked a tree :

DIG
6 FT
E

And buried another bottle with the latest information also desired whoever found it to get the other bottle in the bend above. Having returned to camp and all being ready, the whole party moved up the river to within ¾ of a mile of Burke’s tree. I examined it the same evening and tried digging at 14 inches and 14 yards, but with no success.

Friday, 10th January 1862.
Patrick, Rodney and Jimmy Cargara went with me in a direction south east by east, diverging at various points to our left in hopes of meeting with Burke’s track. We crossed over the range and went about twelve miles but we travelled seventeen. Having seen no signs of a track we returned on the upper side of the mountain and arrived after dusk at the camp. We saw the tracks of a large number of blacks quite fresh and on our return fell in with a boy of about fourteen years of age. He was awfully frightened and of course nothing could be got out of him. I have never seen a country so thickly populated with blacks.

Saturday, 11th January 1862.
Mr Moore and party went out today to see what they could do, but although as usual the tracks of camels feeding could be seen, no track out of this could be seen. They, according to instructions crossed the river on their return but no camels had been over. The river could not have been fordable when Burke was here for he had fresh water from the river at his camp and he had to head? Two fresh water creeks. Mr Houghton and Corem Jimmy went down to my marked tree but no one had been there.

Sunday, 12th January 1862.
Mr Macalister and one party went east south east to examine some tracks seen there but beyond a short distance none could be seen. I went with another to examine the tracks seen by Jimmy Cargara and I under the range on the 4th. These we found were Burke’s downward track going east south east to head the fresh water creek then turning west north west to round the range on the opposite side. Thus we can track every inch of his route from above our 50 tree to his CXIX Camp and beyond that all our efforts are in vain. A surmise is now gaining strength that Burke’s party never left the camp and that the camels have strayed back singly leaving no definite trail. Why he left the camp at all on the mad foot expedition is astonishing, the two men left behind may have been killed in his absence and he have shared their fate on his return. There is still one chance which is that the tracks went through the long grass on the plains east south east from his camp and that although we have seen on these plains the (?) tracks of single camels going in every direction yet we may have missed the trail. Unluckily the grass is green and I cannot burn it. Marked a tree :

FW
12 JAN
1862

Monday, 13th January 1862.
Proceeded with the whole party to opposite the 50 tree but Mrr Houghton, Patrick, Jingle and Corem Jimmy went up on the left bank in hopes of falling in with the two (?) of the missing horses but they met no success.

My plan now is to run up the Flinders to opposite where I left the horses on the Norman, send over for these and then if we have not cut the trail of Burke on the red sandstone where it would be like print, I must steer east by north to the Gilbert. This will be very disappointing to me, but my first object is to find the trail again if I can. Marked a tree here :

I
U
FW

Turkey and ducks, the latter abundant.

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