Page:Once a Week Dec 1861 to June 1862.pdf/226

 216 And what will ye leave for your wife to take, ⁠My merry son, come tell me hither? And what will ye leave for your wife to take? ⁠And I wot I hae not anither. A goodly gown and a fair new make, For she'll do nae mair for my body's sake, ⁠O dear mither.

And what will ye leave your young son fair, ⁠My merry son, come tell me hither? And what will ye leave your young son fair? ⁠And I wot ye hae not anither. A twiggen school-rod for his body to bear, Though it garred him greet he'll get nae mair, ⁠O dear mither.

And what will ye leave your little daughter sweet, ⁠My merry son, come tell me hither? And what will ye leave your little daughter sweet? ⁠And I wot ye hae not anither. Wild mulberries for her mouth to eat, She'll get nae mair though it garred her greet, ⁠O dear mither.

And when will ye come back frae roamin', ⁠My merry son, come tell me hither? And when will ye come back frae roamin'? ⁠And I wot I hae not anither. When the sunrise out of the north is comen, ⁠O dear mither.

When shall the sunrise on the north side be, ⁠My merry son, come tell me hither? When shall the sunrise on the north side be? ⁠And I wot I hae not anither. When chuckie-stanes shall swim in the sea, ⁠O dear mither.

When shall stanes in the sea swim, ⁠My merry son, come tell me hither? When shall stanes in the sea swim? ⁠And I wot I hae not anither. When birdies' feathers are as lead therein, ⁠O dear mither.

When shall feathers be as lead, ⁠My merry son, come tell me hither? When shall feathers be as lead? ⁠And I wot I hae not anither. When God shall judge between the quick and dead, ⁠O dear mither.

our Part for February last year, we took the opportunity of bringing before our readers the almost fabulous account of the journey of the intrepid explorer Stuart, who, starting from Adelaide, crossed the continent of Australia to within 200 miles of the Gulf of Carpentaria, this too with only two companions and eleven horses. Since then this same gentleman, on a second attempt, penetrated to within 90 miles of the Northern Shore, and we trust, on his third attempt which he is now prosecuting, he will be successful in reaching the sea.

Meantime the more wealthy colony of Victoria started a magnificently equipped expedition, consisting of eighteen officers and men, upwards of twenty camels (which had been brought from India, at a great expense), and a vast equipage of horses and waggons, carrying provisions for twelve months, amounting to about twenty tons.

Well might the Melbourne people flatter themselves, as they saw this imposing cavalcade defile out of their town, in August, 1860, that success was in their grasp—that hostile natives and want of water, which had checked the gallant Stuart, would offer no impediments to them. But how sad the tale that has reached us within the last few days, that of the brave-hearted men who penetrated to the opposite shore, one by one perished from exhaustion, leaving a solitary individual, who owed his life to a tribe of natives, to tell the story of all the heroic daring and patient sufferings.

So sad a close to such brilliant hopes may well mar the satisfaction of the Victorians at being the first to achieve the task, long proposed in vain to Australian explorers, the more so since it is incontestible that the sacrifice of so many valuable lives, the loss of much of this splendid equipage, and the scanty information gained at so tremendous a cost, was owing to the expedition being deficient in discipline, unanimity, and observance of orders.

The individuals who composed thin ill-fated party, consisted of Robert O'Hara; Burke, the leader; Landells, in charge of the camels; Wills, a surveyor and astronomer; Beckler, surgeon and geologist, and thirteen others, of whom three were Sepoys.

Starting from Melbourne in August, 1860, it was the intention of the party to proceed in a body to Cooper's Creek, about a third of the way across the continent, here a depôt was to be formed, and left in charge of two or three of the expedition whilst the others were to make their way to the Gulf.

The intention of forming a depôt here was that the flying Party might fall back upon it, and in the meantime it was to be refurnished from Melbourne, with further means of conveyance and provisions.

Long before they had reached Cooper's Creek, Burke and Lsndells quarrelled; the latter abandoned the expedition, and, taking with him Beckler the surgeon and several of the camels, returned to Melbourne. Nothing daunted, though shorn of more than half his strength, Burke, with three companions—-Wills the astronomer and the two men King and Gray—started from the depôt at Cooper's Creek, on the 16th December, with six camels, several horses, and three months' provision, to undertake the gigantic task before him.

We gather from the memoranda left by Wills, as well as from the despatch of the brave yet unfortunate leader, found in the "cache," that they had discovered a practicable route to the Gulf of Carpentaria, on the line chiefly of the 140° E. longitude, following which they reached the sea on February 11th, 1861. The country through which they travelled far surpassed anything we have usually been led to expect of the interior of Australia. True it is that, here and there, we read of tracts of stony ground and unavailable territory; but, generally speaking, almost every other entry or so in the memoranda contains a notice of that element, to Australians more precious than any other—water, in the condition either of creeks, lagoons, or rivers. Much of