e tracks through a scrub, and there I found him camped.
We had over 60 miles to overtake the sheep, and as he could not keep up
with the horses, I had to leave him.

We had passed St. Ann's and Mt. McConnell's Stations where Lieutenant
Fred Murray was stationed with his black trackers. Proceeding up the
Cape River, we overtook the sheep at Natal Downs, then owned by Wm.
Kellett. We left the Cape River here, and followed Amelia Creek through
a lot of spinifex country.

On the third camp, in my early morning watch, I noticed several of the
sheep jumping. At daylight we found about 60 lying dead on the ground.
We learnt that they had been eating the poison bush which abounds
throughout what is designated as the "Desert Country."

The leaf of this bush is shaped like an inverted heart, and in colour is
a very bright green. The flower resembles a pea blossom, and when in
bloom the bush is most deadly to all stock. This experience taught us to
be more careful, and in one place we cut a track through five miles of
it for the sheep to pass.

When we reached Torren's Creek, we saw a water-hole containing the bones
of some 10,000 sheep which had perished from the same cause. They were a
portion of 20,000, which, we were informed, were in charge of a Mr.
Halloran, who had preceded us for the Flinders, and owned by a Mr.
Alexander.

We afterwards passed a green flat, quite dry, but in the wet season
covered with water, called "Billy Webb's Lake."

I was suffering from a severe attack of sandy blight in both eyes, so
had to ride a horse which was tied to the bullock dray. I was
_hors-de-combat_ for over a week. Not having any eye-water, the only
relief I could get was cold tea leaves at night. Both eyes were so
swollen that I was completely blind. Fortunately, we met the McKinlay
expedition returning from an unsuccessful search after Leichhardt. The
doctor gave me a bottle of his eye-water, which he informed me contained
some nitrate of silver; this he instructed me how to use, and I soon
regained my eye-sight, but the eyes continued very weak.

Shortly afterwards we met some travellers, and enquired how far it was
to the jump-up--meaning the descent from the plateau to the level
country at the head of the Flinders. They replied, "in two miles you
will be amongst the roly-poly."

These we found were not stones, as we thought, but dry stumps of a weed
which grows on the open downs in the shape of a ball. The strong
trade-wi