ores up the river, and the Monarch proceeding on her voyage to
Singapore. The horses had been landed at Point Pearce, whence Gregory,
his brother, and seven men took them on overland by easy stages. One
night the horses were attacked by crocodiles, and three of them were
severely wounded. They followed up the course of the Fitzmaurice River
and then passed over rough country, not reaching the Victoria until the
17th. On the 20th they rejoined the members who had gone round by the
schooner, and learned that she was aground in the river. A large part of
their stores was spoiled; and the number of the sheep had also been
reduced to forty, in consequence of their being foolishly kept penned up
on board. These losses and accidents considerably weakened Gregory's
resources, and it was not until the 24th of November that any excursion
on horseback was undertaken. An attempt had previously been made to
ascend the river in the portable boat with which the expedition had been
supplied, but it was not successful, as the boat could not navigate the
rocky bars in safety.

Gregory left camp accompanied by his brother, Dr. von Mueller, and
Wilson, taking seven horses and twenty days' rations, his object being to
examine the country through which the exploring party would have to
travel on their route to the interior. On this preliminary trip, he
penetrated as far as latitude 16 1/2 south, whence, finding the
tributaries flowing from fine open plains and level forest country, all
well-grassed, he returned to the main camp.

On the 4th of January, 1856, Gregory started with a much larger party on
an energetic dash into the interior. He had with him six men besides his
brother, Dr. von Mueller and Baines the artist, and thirty-six horses. He
retraced his steps along his preliminary route, and on the 30th of
January, thinking it wise judging from the rapid evaporation of the
waterholes, to make his means of retreat secure, he formed a temporary
camp, leaving there four men and all the horses but eleven to await his
return, whilst he, his brother, Dr. Mueller, and a man named Dean, rode
ahead to challenge the desert to the south. On the 9th of February,
having run the Victoria out, he crossed an almost level watershed, and
found himself on the confines of the desert. From a slight rise he looked
southwards:--

"The horizon was unbroken; all appeared one slightly undulating plain,
with just sufficient triodia and bushes growing on it to h