Although his lavish outfit had been purchased specially to explore this comparatively small extent of land, he thus deliberately left it behind him during the most critical part of the journey.

He had with him no means of following up any discoveries he might make, and his botanist and naturalist and geologist were also left behind.

He killed time for a little while by making short excursions northward, and then, on the 16th of December, impatient of further delay, he started with Wills and two men for Carpentaria.

The others were left, with verbal instructions, to wait three months for him.

Thus, dispersed and neglected, he left the costly equipment containing within itself all the elements of successful geographical research.