I still continued gathering, and Mr. Burke now
also began to feel very weak, and said he could be of very little
use in pounding; I had now to gather and pound for all three of us.
I continued to do this for a few days; but finding my strength
rapidly failing, my legs being very weak and painful, I was unable
to go out for several days, and we were compelled to consume six
days' stock which we had laid by. Mr. Burke now proposed that I
should gather as much as possible in three days, and that with this
supply we should go in search of the natives--a plan which had been
urged upon us by Mr. Wills as the only chance of saving him and
ourselves as well, as he clearly saw that I was no longer able to
collect sufficient for our wants. Having collected the seed as
proposed, and having pounded sufficient to last Mr. Wills for eight
days, and two days for ourselves, we placed water and firewood
within his reach and started; before leaving him, however, Mr.
Burke asked him whether he still wished it, as under no other
circumstance would he leave him, and Mr. Wills again said that he
looked on it as our only chance. He then gave Mr. Burke a letter
and his watch for his father, and we buried the remainder of the
field-books near the gunyah.
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