to these we went and dug another well and got more
brine. We could see the lake stretching away east or east-south-east
as far as the glasses could carry the vision. Here we made another
attempt to cross, but the horses were all floundering about in the
bottomless bed of this infernal lake before we could look round. I
made sure they would be swallowed up before our eyes. We were
powerless to help them, for we could not get near owing to the bog,
and we sank up over our knees, where the crust was broken, in hot salt
mud. All I could do was to crack my whip to prevent the horses from
ceasing to exert themselves, and although it was but a few moments
that they were in this danger, to me it seemed an eternity. They
staggered at last out of the quagmire, heads, backs, saddles,
everything covered with blue mud, their mouths were filled with salt
mud also, and they were completely exhausted when they reached firm
ground. We let them rest in the shade of some quandong trees, which
grew in great numbers round about here. From Mount Udor to the shores
of this lake the country had been continually falling. The northern
base of each ridge, as we travelled, seemed higher by many feet than
the southern, and I had hoped to come upon something better than this.
I thought such a continued fall of country might lead to a
considerable watercourse or freshwater basin; but this salt bog was
dreadful, the more especially as it prevented me reaching the mountain
which appeared so inviting beyond.

Not seeing any possibility of pushing south, and thinking after all it
might not be so far round the lake to the west, I turned to where we
had struck the first salt channel, and resolved to try what a more
westerly line would produce. The channel in question was now some
fifteen miles away to the north-westward, and by the time we got back
there the day was done and "the darkness had fallen from the wings of
night." We had travelled nearly fifty miles, the horses were almost
dead; the thermometer stood at 100 degrees in the shade when we rested
under the quandongs. In the night blankets were unendurable. Had there
been any food for them the horses could not eat for thirst, and were
too much fatigued by yesterday's toil to go out of sight of our
camping place. We followed along the course of the lake north of west
for seven miles, when we were checked by a salt arm running
north-eastwards; this we could not cross until we had gone up it a
distanc