Australia Twice Traversed: The Romance of Exploration, Being a Narrative Compiled from the Journals of Five Exploring Expeditions into and Through Central South Australia and Western Australia, from 1872 to 1876Giles, Ernest
History
Australia Twice Traversed: The Romance of Exploration, Being a Narrative Compiled from the Journals of Five Exploring Expeditions into and Through Central South Australia and Western Australia, from 1872 to 1876
Giles, Ernest
Australia -- Discovery and exploration
In a former part of my narrative I mentioned, that so soon as I had
informed my kind friend Baron von Mueller by wire from the Charlotte
Waters Telegraph Station, of the failure and break up of my
expedition, he set to work and obtained a new fund for me to continue
my labours. Although the greatest despatch was used, and the money
quickly obtained, yet it required some months before I could again
depart. I reached Adelaide late in January, 1873, and as soon as funds
were available I set to work at the organisation of a new expedition.
I obtained the services of a young friend named William Henry
Tietkins--who came over from Melbourne to join me--and we got a young
fellow named James Andrews, or Jimmy as we always called him. I bought
a light four-wheeled trap and several horses, and we left Adelaide
early in March, 1873. We drove up the country by way of the Burra
mines to Port Augusta at the head of Spencer's Gulf, buying horses as
we went; and having some pack saddles on the wagon, these we put on
our new purchases as we got them.
Before I left Adelaide I had instructed Messrs. Tassie & Co., of Port
Augusta, to forward certain stores required for our journey, which
loading had already been despatched by teams to the Peake. We made a
leisurely journey up the country, as it was of no use to overtake our
stores. At Beltana Mr. Chandler had got and kept my black boy Dick,
who pretended to be overjoyed to see me, and perhaps he really was;
but he was extra effusive in his affection, and now declared he had
been a silly young fool, that he didn't care for wild blacks now a
bit, and would go with me anywhere. When Mr. Chandler got him he was
half starved, living in a blacks' camp, and had scarcely any clothes.
Leaving Beltana, in a few days we passed the Finniss Springs Station,
and one of the people there made all sorts of overtures to Dick, who
was now dressed in good clothes, and having had some good living
lately, had got into pretty good condition; some promises must have
been made him, as when we reached the Gregory, he bolted away, and I
never saw him afterwards.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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