On his weary way back he saw that one of the abandoned horses had turned off from the trail, and that Gibson's tracks turned off too, seemingly following it.

When he reached the keg, he found that the contents were untouched.

Fearing greatly that the unfortunate man's fate was sealed, Giles dragged himself on to the camp.

A search was at once instituted, but it was fruitless.

Neither man nor horse was ever seen again; and the scene of his fate is known as Gibson's Desert.
During his excursions in various directions, Giles discovered and traversed four different ranges of hills.