I continue the account of Major O'Halloran's expedition on the Murray, from the time the party came upon the mangled body of one of the slaughtered men, from information given by Mr. Miller, the wounded overseer of Mr. Langhorne's cattle party, and from the diaries and reports of officers.

When the attack was made on this party the overseer had dispatched some of the men to the rear to bring up a part of the herd which had separated from the main body. These drovers did not come on to the ground where lay their slaughtered mates until the survivors had passed on, but overtook them shortly before they met the relief force.

The cattle were then got together with the aid of the relief party, and with the loss of only 73 out of the original number of 700, so that Mr. Langhorne had then great cause for thankfulness that the police and volunteers arrived in time to save so large a proportion of his cattle, and probably the lives of the whole of his men.

But it must be recorded of him that he made no outward signs of his gratitude then or afterwards to gentlemen who had endured such fatigues, and had undertaken such a thankless duty in aid of the Major's force. However, his name has been given to a creek which in its whole length is generally dry.

When the rear party overtook those who had survived the attack, it was resolved to push on with all speed to reach the nearest stations, as they had no idea of an approaching party. Their firearms were mostly useless, and they had only a few charges of ammunition left, the blacks had taken from the drays everything except part of their flour, and this was all the party had to depend on for the remainder of the journey.

On meeting Major O'Halloran they became aware why the natives had so suddenly vanished, and how they had been saved in such a providential manner, the black scouts having given notice of the approach of a strong and armed body of white men.

I now return to make use of Mr. J. C. Hawker's diary and continue with the further occurrences of the 23rd of June.

" At about 9.30, all the mounted men, and as many of the men on foot as could be spared from the camp, started to scour the country to see if any of Inman's sheep were still alive, but nothing was found but the stinking carcases of about 2,000 sheep, wantonly speared. A camp of about 30 natives was come upon, but the blacks bolted, and took to the river, laughing and defying the party to shoot, and remaining within pistol shot distance, evidently aware of the orders under which the men carried their useless arms, with strict injunctions not to fire unless attacked. Amongst this insulting mob was identified one of the natives who had left the party the previous day promising to procure a conference. The natives who had promised to give up the sheep were amongst the swimming niggers, thus proving their treachery.

" In the camp which they had deserted were found pieces of clothing, and some iron work belonging to Mr. Inman's party, and also the bones of Mr. Jacob's horse, which they speared as described. On the return of the force to the camp Major O'Halloran took the depositions of Mr. Langhorne, jun., who was with the party when attacked, as well as of the overseer and men, and decided to start the next day to Lake Victoria, and endeavor to make prisoners.

" 24th.— At 7.30 the party started for the Lake, leaving Messrs. Inman, J. C. Hawker and Field in charge of the fortified camp, with the men on foot and all Mr. Langhorne's party except three. A strong fence was immediately commenced as a stockade, sentries being outside during the day and within all night. On the 25th the defending fence around the camp was finished.

The Major's diary —

" On the 26th the mounted force returned. They had divided into two parties at the Lake, one party crossing the Rufus, keeping the easterly side, and the other continuing on the near side, in order to intercept the natives, but they had been on the alert, and had reached the farther side of the Lake, and eight canoes were seen on the Lake crossing the remainder, and so they accomplished their escape. When the party arrived at the junction of the Rufus with the Murray they found to their unspeakable horror the mangled body of a man named, Martin, one of the four murdered men who had been placed over the bank by their escaping mates.

" One of the bodies had been brought up by the blacks, and placed on the upper bank, stript naked ; the skull had been battered with waddies, and exhibited masses of mangled bones, brains, and congealed blood ; the bones of the arms and thighs had been removed; the sides had been opened, and the vital organs, with the kidney fat, had been extracted. In the hands small green boughs had been placed. All this had been done in derision after the men had been killed with spears, to do which diabolical act the savages had again returned to the spot.

" By the side of the body of Martin was seen a faithful bull dog named Blucher, which appeared to be wounded. The poor brute, alarmed at the approach of the police, took to the water, giving vent to a most piteous howl, which' none of the hearers would be likely to forget. The rescued men said he had fought the blacks nobly, and was supposed to have been killed. The metaphorical fiendish display the blacks had time to indulge in may he read to mean that the whites when they intruded on their country had not bodily arms, to fight with or to defend themselves, and had not legs to escape from them, nor brains to cope with them; and to complete the unheard of picture they placed in the powerless hands small branches of green boughs as an emblem of their unarmed helplessness."

One of my informants, a very kind-hearted and genuine Englishman, thus expressed himself to me of the effect the shocking sight had upon him on seeing the derisively mangled body of his countryman. Sergeant N— thus gives his impressions on witnessing the shocking spectacle ;—

" Before this I never knew what it was to feel bloodthirsty or to desire to take the life of a fellow-creature, but this sight caused my blood to run cold; and then I felt as if my brain was on fire, and that no command would restrain me from wreaking vengeance on such barbarous murderers. I do not know what the Major felt, but I could guess by his distorted countenance, silent as he was, and how he felt his false position. I was with him in his raid against the Milemnura tribes of natives after the Maria murders, but then his hands were not tied by instructions from the Home Government, and he there carried out what proved to be a humane policy under the orders of our Governor, Colonel Gawler."

After a pause, to allow the feelings of the party to quieten, " the Major ordered a grave to be dug, and he performed funeral service over the body. Then a large fire was made and kept up over the spot to disguise the grave. A watch belonging to one of the slaughtered men and a few other articles were found lying about, with broken spears, and here 53 head more of cattle were recovered."

Lake Victoria is 20 miles from the last strong camp, Lake Bonney being 56, and the grave is 233 miles from Adelaide. A tree was barked at the crossing of the Rufus, and on it was written ' Beware of the blacks,' as a caution to fresh parties coming down.

" On June 27 the whole of the force remained at camp to rest the horses. It was called Fort O'Halloran. Mr. J. C. Hawker says—

" Took one of the men, and rode to the spot to which the natives had removed Messrs. Field & Inman's dray, and found it in the same condition as when first discovered in May. Rode afterwards over the ground where we received the attack, and there found a very large deserted blacks' camp and piles of sheep's bones.

" 28. — Took five men of the party, and brought the dray into camp, which I had bought from the owners.

" 29.— Still in camp.

" 30. — Mr. Inman's horse escaped, and could not be recovered.

" July 2. — Inspector Tolmer, J. C. Hawker, and two troopers dispatched as an express to headquarters."

Continued from the Major's diary : —

The place where Langhorne's overland cattle party were attacked was called Langhorne's Ferry by Major O'Halloran, as he here prepared the body of a dray by covering the bottom, back, front, and sides with a tarpaulin ; and in that makeshift crossed a party of 18 men, under Inspector Tolmer, swimming their horses over to the opposite side. He gave the Inspector strict orders to make prisoners, if possible, without bloodshed, to carry out the commands issued by His Excellency Governor Grey to the letter. The Inspector with his party was directed to proceed a little inland, where some natives were known to frequent, and to force them if found, towards the junction of the Rufus with Lake Victoria, towards the Major and his party of 14, who would be there ready to intercept them; after which, if time permitted, he would order both sides of the Lake to be scoured. The drays and party in charge of them (13 in all) were to remain at Langhorne's Ferry till the scouring parties returned.

The parties on both sides of the channel (known as the River Rufus, being the connection between the Lake and the Murray) mounted, and commenced operations at about midday. The Major's party had not proceeded far in extended order, when one of his scouts gave him notice that about 30 blacks were crossing the Lake. Orders were given to pursue. The channel or junction of the Lake being waded, the party passed to the New South Wales side, and with speed skirted the Lake, when to their regret they found they were too late. They found at the bank of the Lake eight canoes, which the blacks had left and vanished in the scrub.

The Major being thus foiled, turned back and recrossed the channel, which near the junction was found to be fordable. He now extended his men along the banks of the Rufus, in hopes to intercept any blacks that the Inspector's party might drive before him, in passing from a salt-water creek emptying into the Murray. At 2.30 p.m. the Inspector came in with his detachment, and reported he had met with no success.

The country around was now seen to be in a blaze with signal fires, and finding it would be useless to make any further attempt to secure prisoners, the whole party returned to Langhorne's Ferry, and all hands were carefully employed in searching along the banks of the Rufus towards the Lake, in hopes of finding the other three bodies of the murdered men, which might have been carried by the current then passing from the river to fill up the Lake.

This Lake by high winds is filled, and as the river falls for a time, returns its waters to keep up the stream in the Murray, as many back-waters, lagoons, and anabranches do on this great watercourse, with which our province has been favored.

No bodies were found, but a musket, uninjured, a morocco cigar case, and other scattered articles, with many broken spears. Trees here were blazed, and on them written, 'Beware of blacks,' to warn the next unhappy party of their danger on arriving in the country of these blood-thirsty tribes. The flour and other property of the previous sufferers had been found distributed in all directions on the Murray, Rufus, and Lake, thus proving these vagabonds participated in the late dreadful and cruel murders.

The party were ordered to return to the morning camp. Mr. Langhorne this day recovered four more of his cattle, having with the assistance of the relief party ultimately regained all but 16 head of his number of 700.

" The Rufus is a narrow but deep stream or channel, and full of windings. The distance from the Murray to the Lake is not more than seven miles. Its breadth is about 30 yards, and at its junction with the the Lake it is sufficiently shallow to admit of horsemen and drays crossing without inconvenience, and at this spot only ought overlanders to ford the river. Lake Victoria is a noble expanse of water, with rich, alluvial flats of considerable extent along its banks, and fit for dairy purposes as pasture land or for agriculture."

The party were now 260 miles from Adelaide and (the Major in his diary says), they could not expect to arrive there under three weeks, which in all would make an absence of nearly seven weeks. He felt much disheartened, after so much anxiety and exertion, that no prisoners had been taken, but he still hoped to be able to do so at or on arriving at Lake Bonney. One great source of consolation to him was that his party had been, under Providence, the happy means of saving the lives of 12 white men as also the bulk of the cattle for the owner and the colony. He could not speak too highly of the admirable conduct of the entire detachment since they left town, every duty having been performed with a prompt cheerfulness. The gentlemen volunteers deserving especially his warm thanks for their gentlemanly conduct and strict obedience to orders ; and their admirable example and quickness in learning their military duties had both surprised and greatly pleased him.

The party returned to the fortified camp, and to the regret of the Major and the party the faithful dog Blucher did not again show himself. Mr. Hawker picked up a hymn book found about two and a half miles from the camp, which had belonged to one of the murdered men.

On the 28th of June the whole party left the camp, which the Major named the Hornet's Nest, but the volunteers called it Fort O'Halloran.

Their next camp was on the ground where the famous ' Blue Beard' was shot some 18 months previously. Sturt mentioned him in his work. He was a very old man, and had a long white beard. It was reported that he was shot when in the act of some treachery towards Miller's first party. The Major named this spot 'Blue Beard's Den.'

" 29th.— Left Blue Beard's Den, and marched 15 miles. We are detained for Mr. Langhorne's cattle to come up.'

" 30th. — Marched 14 miles. Day cold.

" July 1, Thursday. — Marched 17 miles, crossing Lake Bonney, now out of country of hostile blacks; captured a number of women and children, who, however, through a misunderstanding of orders by the men in charge were released, and they escaped. One of them bit a policeman in the leg, and taking his sword about the middle snapt it in two. I was in hopes by the capture of these women, and by releasing one of them with a message to her tribe, that we might on promising to release the rest, have secured the three men who joined us in this neighborhood, with the promise of acting as interpreters with the hostile blacks, and who afterwards acted so false and treacherous a part.

" Looked for and found the bottle buried at this camp for the boats, from which I conclude that the boats have been counter-ordered. Just before dark six blacks fearlessly came to our camp. They were asked if they were not afraid to come near us? But they said no ; they had done us no wrong, and they knew we would not hurt them. They knew we had caught their women and children and had released them. The men who had deceived us were ahead, and we should see them. I could not find in my heart to make prisoners of them after thus confiding in us. The point of a spear came out of Mr. Millar's groin this evening.

" July 2, Friday.— Mr. Tolmer, the Sergeant-Major, and Corporal Pollard left camp this morning at 6 a.m. with a despatch for His Excellency. Eleven gentlemen volunteers also accompanied them into town. The faithful bulldog Blucher, that we found at Langhorne's Creek guarding the dead body of poor Martin, to our astonishment came into the camp this evening with the cattle. He is very thin and emaciated ; had a spear wound through his body, and another in the hind leg, on which he is very lame. He has followed us in this state upwards of 70 miles, and appears at present very shy and timid.

" July 5. — Dead Man's Flat. — A board on a tree, and on it, ' Boats left for the Bend June 25th.' Some hours after arrival at camping-ground, caught one of the blacks who had so grossly deceived us by acting as spy to the hostile tribe; notified to him in presence of other blacks that he should be taken a prisoner to Adelaide for the future good conduct of his tribe, for it seems that this fellow and five other men of his tribe were about to attack our cart on the line of our march homeward, and were only prevented by Sergt. Naughton presenting his carbine at them. He was in the cart sick with Mr. Miller. The blacks doubtless coveted the rugs and blankets that were laid in numbers in the cart to form a soft bed for the wounded overseer.

" July 6. — Left for town, giving over the command to Inspector Gordon.

" July 8. Arrived in town at 11 o'clock a.m. Have 11 miles still before me ere I reach my residence."

Extract from Major O'Halloran's report, published in the Register of July 10, 1874 : — "Unfortunately, after great anxiety, we have failed in making any prisoners, but this has been owing solely to the boats not joining, and for which I cannot account. In a country such as I have gone over, intersected by rivers, lagoons, and creeks, and thick with polygnum scrub and high weeds, it is next to impossible to surprise any blacks, who all know (by scouts and signal fires) of the approach of any party from the time the same makes the river, into which the natives are ready to plunge and at once escape to the opposite side of the river, and are there secure from all danger. The cruel tribe we are now surrounded by are very numerous, and have doubtless become emboldened by having defeated three successive parties of Europeans, and having also escaped punishment from any detachment. Mr. Inman was attacked three miles from this, and Mr. Langhorne's party 15 miles east of us ; and this clearly proves that this tribe in the last three instances are the murderers of our countrymen, and the plunderers of their property."

Register, July 17. — The whole of the police party, we understand, returned from the Murray expedition on Wednesday, bringing in custody a native, though with what crime charged we have not heard. It is said the man was fastened to and obliged to follow the dray. He was tied up on his arrival in the Police Barracks, but during the night he contrived to escape, and no tidings of him have been gained.

Register, 24th.— It will be recollected that one of the objects of the late expedition to the Murray was to protect the party of Mr. Langhorne (reported by him to the Governor), and known to be on the road with a large herd of cattle. The expedition, though it did not reach the spot in time to prevent an attack by the natives and the murder of four of Mr. L.'s servants, was happily the means of saving the lives of those who escaped. The cattle, too, with a trifling exception, were all saved. The Mr. L. who was with the party is indebted as well for his life as for the property to Major O'Halloran's party of police and volunteer gentlemen on the occasion. In knowledge of these facts it was with some surprise we heard it stated on the return of the party that the Mr. Langhorne (who was with the cattle), had refused to supply the expedition with more than one bullock, out of nearly seven hundred saved. We received last week a statement from Mr. J. C. Hawker, who took the trouble to act as commissary to the volunteer force, which we publish without comment. "One beast only was killed for the police and volunteers. As commissary I represented to Captain Beevor that our rations of salt meat would not last us out if we supplied Mr. Langhorne's men with meat. On which Captain Beevor asked Mr. Langhorne when he would be killing a beast, as some of our men were suffering from scurvey. Mr. Langhorne's answer was that if we thought we had come out to eat fresh meat all the way in we were very much mistaken, as it would cost him twenty head to last us into Adelaide. Mr. Beevor then asked if he would sell some to him, but he refused to sell any, making several paltry excuses. The following is the account of the ex-penses incurred by the volunteer party : — 'To Messrs. August and Cook, flour, rice, &c, £42; hire of two teams at £8 a week, £55 ; bullock driver, &c, £8 ; total, £105. None of this amount is defrayed by Mr. Langhorne."

The account of the third expedition of police, under Sub-inspector Shaw, accompanied by Mr. Moorhouse, Protector of Aborigines, will appear in next number, on which occasion ample punishment was inflicted on the Rufus tribes and their allies, by a great slaughter of these emboldened natives. (To be continued.)

See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rufus_River_massacre