is one woeful difference--our wallets were empty. It was in vain I
fumbled about in mine; I could neither find the remains of a venison
pasty, a fat buffalo's hump, or any other delicacy: indeed I had not the
means of keeping life and soul together for many days longer. Deeply did
we regret that we were not favoured for a few days with the company of
Mr. Cooper, that he might in our present difficulties fully initiate us
into the mysterious, nay, almost miraculous means by which his
travellers, even in the most dreary wilds, always contrived to draw forth
from their stock of provender such dainties that the bare recollection of
them made our mouths water; but the necessities of the moment would not
permit me for more than a few minutes to indulge in these speculations,
and we turned therefore from seductive travels of the imagination to the
more stringent ones of reality.

HEAVY LOADS CARRIED BY THE MEN.

I now entreated the men to disencumber themselves of a portion of the
loads which they were attempting to carry. Urged by a miscalculating
desire of gain, when the boats were abandoned they had laid hands upon
canvas and what else they thought would sell at Perth, and some of them
appeared to be resolved rather to risk their lives than the booty they
were bending under. The more tractable threw away the articles I told
them to get rid of; but neither entreaties nor menaces prevailed with the
others.

For the next three miles we still followed the native path which
continued to run south by east. The whole of this distance was over open
sandy downs, abounding in kangaroos; but we now suddenly emerged into a
rich limestone country of gently sloping hills and valleys, affording,
even at this season of the year, fair feed for sheep or cattle, and we
found springs of water at every few hundred yards, generally situated at
the edge of a large clump of trees.

After having for some time rested here I quitted the native path, which
trended too much to the eastward, and, leaving also the direction of the
limestone country which ran inland, we continued a south by east course
over a gravelly tableland in places covered with beds of clay on which
rested ponds of water. The country here was perfectly open, with clumps
of trees to the eastward. Emus and kangaroos were wandering about the
plains.

DIFFICULT SCRUB.

Two miles more brought us to an almost impenetrable belt of scrub which
lay east and west, directly athwart our