THE LOST TRAVELLER LEICHARDT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4507, 31 August 1875, Page 3

THE LOST TRAVELLER LEICHARDT.

We leam from Western Australia that some three months since Mr, -I'Vne, a squatter in the Champion Bay district, whose runs are about 300 miles north of Perth, whilst travelling eastward some 300 miles from his station in search of new country, was brought into connection with natives who told him the following story;—Many years ago the natives fell in with or rather observed four white men with horses coming from the eastward. The whole party was fatigued and seemingly at the last extremity from want of water, and wandered from spot to spot, finding nothing but dry wells. The natives having never seen white men on horses before, had no intercourse with their visitors, but observed them closely at a distance. At last despair seemed to beset the strangers, and they apparently determined to separate and travel each whithersoever he would. They quarrelled, and Mr. Fane was made to understand that they parted their slender stock of provisions. One person seemed to be the leader, and he having made the distribution, in a fit of fury lacked the remains of the flour about and destroyed it. Then they fought and the leader was killed with another of the party. The survivors buried the leader or “ master,” placing papers under him, and having marked his resting-place with stones, went on their way, still searching for water, still finding only empty wells. At last they died, and their horses died too, and the bones arc yet to be seen. It was too far eastward for Mr. Fane to go and verify the story, but the natives, who were friendly and intelligent, promised to take him to where the bones of the horses and men are, and to tho “ master’s” grave. One of Mr. Fane’s informants was a man of middle age, who said that the incident happened when he was a young man; and a middle-aged woman told the same tale. A native youth of about eighteen said that what the others related had happened before he was born, and that therefore he knew nothing about it; but that for years this had been the tradition of his elders. The man also, with reference to the papers buried in the “ master’s” grave, made signs or lines on his hand with charcoal; and the result is that Mi - . Fane thoroughly believes his story, and will at his earliest convenience, assisted by a highly-experienced member of the police force, ascertain its truth by proceeding with the natives to the locality indicated. So much for the facts. And in addition we are reminded that this tale is not now for the first time told to the whites ; for such a story has long been rife among the natives, and in 1868 Mr. John Forrest led an expedition in that very direction in quest of Lcichardt; and afterwards Sir. Frederick Roe went also to tho eastward—but from York, about east of Perth —on the same errand. Both explorations wero fruitless, because they found no natives who could give them the particulars which Sir. Fane had gathered. In 1851 Sir. Austin travelled from Perth to the Slurchison, and what are supposed to he “ Bernhardt's bones” lie in a spot about midway between Austin’s and Forrest’s loutes. Whether this is a mere fabrication or not has yet [to be proved. Be that, however, as it may, wo are told on trustworthy authority that the Government of the neighboring colony will oiler every facility in their power to solve the mystery. If Leiehardt’a grave bo found, and his papers with his bones, there is surely every chance of the papers tolling the story of his travels, for if Leichardt could have brought them safe across the continent it is more than probable that his fellow-travellers would have done their best to preserve them by' wrappers of oilcloth or tin ; and we must, moreover, hear in mind that they are buried in what was then a dry country, and which we know to be on the verge of a rainless district. A few months will serve to bring tho truth to light.