, obliged to move
early on the following morning, but neither men nor animals were in a
condition to travel; and he had scarcely made three miles' progress,
when he stopped and endeavoured to obtain a supply or water by digging
pits among the reeds. From these he had drawn sufficient for the wants
of the people when I arrived. Some rain had fallen on the 6th and 7th
of the month, or it is more than probable the expedient to which he
resorted would have failed of success. Mr. Hume, I was sorry to
observe, looked very unwell; but nothing could prevent him from further
endeavours to extricate the party from its present embarrassment.

JOURNEY CONTINUED.

As soon as I had taken a little refreshment, therefore, I mounted a
fresh horse; and he accompanied me across a small plain, immediately in
front of the camp, which was subject to overflow and covered with
polygonum, having a considerable extent of reeds to its right.

From the plain we entered a wood of blue-gum, in which reeds, grass,
and brush formed a thick coppice. We at length passed into an open
space, surrounded on every side by weeds in dense bodies. The great
marsh bore south of us, and was clear and open, but behind us the
blue-gum trees formed a thick wood above the weeds.

About two hundred yards from the outskirts of the marsh there was a
line of saplings that had perished, and round about them a number of
the tern tribe (sea swallow) were flying, one of which Mr. Hume had
followed a considerable way into the reeds the evening before, in the
hope that it would have led him to water. The circumstance of their
being in such numbers led us to penetrate towards them, when we found a
serpentine sheet of water of some length, over which they were playing.
We had scarcely time to examine it before night closed in upon us, and
it was after nine when we returned to the tents.

From the general appearance of the country to the northward, and from
the circumstance of our having got to the bottom of the great marsh,
which but a few days before had threatened to be so formidable, I
thought it probable that the reeds would not again prove so extensive
as they had been, and I determined, if I could do so, to push through
them in a westerly direction from our position.

SECOND GREAT MARSH.

The pits yielded us so abundant a supply during the night, that in the
morning we found it unnecessary to take the animals to water at the
channel we had succeeded in finding the