compelled to wait for dawn. I do not think any of us slept much. One of
our little party suddenly snatched away in so unforeseen a manner, gave us
all food for reflection -- for which of us knew that the same fate would
not befall him to-morrow? When I dropped off into a slumber, it was so
light and broken, that I seemed to be conscious of Lizzie, continuing her
melancholy drone, and battering monotonously on the tin pannikin, nor was I
surprised when in the morning I ascertained that such had really been her
occupation all night; for the purpose of keeping the body from harm, she
avowed, but, I am inclined to think, much more from fear of sleeping in the
neighbourhood of a dead body, for the blacks are dreadfully superstitious,
and frightened to death of ghosts.

At daylight we were lucky enough to find a tree that had been blown down in
the late hurricane, leaving a hollow where its roots had been torn out of
the ground. In this natural grave we laid the poor trooper, wrapped in his
bark shell, and, having raised a pile of stones upon the spot, of such
dimensions as to preclude the probability of the body being disturbed by
dingoes, we went on our way, silent and melancholy.



AN AUSTRALIAN SEARCH PARTY -- IV.

BY CHARLES H. EDEN.


OUR next day was a repetition of the last; camps in abundance, but no
blacks, and we had as yet seen no signs of the Townsville party. At night
we camped by the side of a large creek, and, after supper, were lying down,
with the intention of making up for the broken slumbers of the previous