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Page 55
Burke was in the prime of life, a strong, brave man, who delighted in
daring and even dangerous exploits. Wills, an astronomer, was younger,
and not so ardent, but prudent, wise, sagacious, and thus well fitted
to be the companion of the adventurous Burke. Their object was to trace
a course from south to north of Australia, and explore the interior,
where hitherto no European had set foot.
Fifteen hardy adventurers were induced to form the little company;
twenty-seven camels were imported from India, for carrying the tents,
provisions and implements needed upon such a journey, a fifteen-months'
supply of provisions was laid in, and large vessels were provided for
holding ample stores of water, whenever the route should lie through
arid regions.
Thus burdened with baggage and equipments, the explorers started out.
Their progress was necessarily slow, but the greatest difficulty with
which the leaders had to contend was a spirit of envy and discontent
among their followers. This led to an entire change in Burke's plans,
and perhaps also to the sad catastrophe which ended them.
Instead of keeping his men together, as at first intended, he divided
the company into three squads. Assigning the command of two of these to
Lieutenants Wright and Brahe, and leaving them behind at an early stage
of the journey, together with most of the baggage and provisions, Burke
took Wills, with two others of the most resolute of his company, and
pushed boldly forward, determined to reach the northern coast if
possible, but, at any rate, not to return unless the want of water and
provisions should compel him.
A place called Cooper's Creek, about the center of the Australian
continent, was to serve as a rendezvous for the entire company; one of
the squads was directed to remain at this point for three months, and
longer if practicable; another squad was told to rest a while at
Menindie, and then join the first; while Burke, Wills, Gray and King
were to prosecute their journey northward, do their utmost to
accomplish the main object of the expedition, and return to Cooper's
Creek. Had this plan been faithfully executed, all might have gone
well. But hardly had Burke taken his departure when quarrels for
pre-eminence broke out among the men he had left behind; then sickness
and death thinned the ranks and disheartened the survivors, and they
failed to carry out the programme Burke had laid down. Wright stayed at
Menindie until the last of January before setting out for the
rendezvous; while Brahe, who had charge of most of the provisions,
instead of remaining for three months at Cooper's Creek, deserted that
post long before the time arranged, and left behind neither water nor
provisions.
In two months Burke and his companions reached the borders of the Gulf
of Carpentaria, at the extreme north of the continent, having solved
the problem, and found a pathway to the North Pacific. Then, worn and
weary, they set out to return. Their forward march had been
exhausting, as the frequent attacks of bands of savage natives and the
many deadly serpents had made it dangerous to halt for rest either by
day or night. The heat, too, was excessive, and sometimes for days
together the travelers were almost without water, while but sparing use
could be made of the few provisions they had been able to carry.
Feeling sure of relief at Cooper's Creek, however, and jubilant at
their success, the four almost starving men turned about and pressed
bravely on, but they arrived only to find the post deserted, and
neither water nor provisions left to fill their pressing need.
In utter dismay, they sat down to consider what could be done, when one
of the party happened to see the word "dig" cut on the bark of a tree,
and digging below it, they found a casket containing a letter from
Brahe, which showed that he had left the post that very morning, and
that our travelers had arrived just _seven hours too late_!
Imagine, if you can, how terribly tantalizing was this news, and how
hard it must have seemed to these heroic men, after having suffered so
much, braved so many dangers, and tasted the first sweets of success,
to die of starvation just at the time when they had hoped relief would
be at hand--to be so nearly saved, and to miss the certainty of rescue
by only a few hours! Eagerly they searched in every direction for some
trace of their comrades, and called loudly their names, but the echo of
their own voices was the only answer. As a last effort for relief, they
attempted to reach Mount Despair, a cattle station one hundred and
fifty leagues away, but they finally gave up in complete
discouragement, when one more day's march might have brought them to
the summit and saved their lives.
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