wandered along its banks with eager
piercing eyes, and an air of intense scrutinizing watchfulness peculiar
to those who search for that on which their lives depend. One while they
explored a shallow stony part of the bed, which was parched up and
blackened by the fiery sun; their steps were slow and listless, and I
could plainly see how faint, weak, and weary they were; the next minute
another pool would be discerned ahead, the depth of which the eye could
not at a distance reach; now they hurried on towards it with a dreadful
look of eager anxiety, the pool was reached, the bottom seen, but, alas!
no water; then they paused and looked one at the other with an air of
utter despair. As long as they remained on the banks of this river bed a
glimmering of hope remained; but I felt convinced from the general
appearance of the country that there was not the slightest probability of
our finding water there, and resolved therefore still to continue a
direct route. When I gave this order the weak-minded quailed before it:
they would rather have perished in wandering up and down those arid and
inhospitable banks than have made a great effort and have torn themselves
away from the vain and delusive hopes this watercourse held out to them.

With great pain I witnessed and bore my part in this distressing scene,
but I at the moment felt that it would be necessary to save my energies
for other occasions; suspecting that we were in a great tract of desert
country, a large portion of which must still be passed ere we could hope
for any alleviation from our sufferings; and I therefore at once
commenced carrying into execution the order I had given, by walking on in
a south by east direction. In about two miles we had gained the summit of
the low range which bounded to the southward the valley where we had so
vainly searched for water, and for the next ten miles we travelled over
elevated sandy barren plains, thinly wooded with occasional clumps of
Banksia trees.

DRY TEA-TREE SWAMP.

On our left was a lofty and well wooded range, distant only about four
miles, and on our right lay extensive plains, the western extremity of
which, distant about sixteen miles from us, was by the sea; these plains
appeared tolerably fertile, being covered with tea-tree swamps, now
apparently dried up. I still was led on by the hope, raised by the height
of the range on our left, that we might find water issuing from it
towards the coast, and had theref