owne and I had
crossed on our recent excursion, and from Flood's examination of it
afterwards, I felt assured that unless a party was sent forward to dig a
large hole for the cattle I could not prudently advance any farther for
the present; but being anxious to push on, and hoping that the late rains
had increased the supply of water in the creek, I sent Flood on the 28th
with two of the men (Joseph and Sullivan) to dig a tank in the most
favourable spot he could select, and followed him with the drays on the
29th. Wishing however to examine the country a little to the westward, I
desired the men to keep on the plains about two miles from the foot of
the ranges, until they should strike the creek or Flood should join them,
and did not reach the encampment before eight o'clock.

Flood then told me that he had been to the place where he had before
found most surface water; but that, notwithstanding the rains, it was all
gone. He had tried the creek downwards, and had at length sunk a tank
opposite to a little gully, thinking that it might influence the
drainage. The tank was quite full, and continued so for two or three days
after, when, without any great call upon it from the cattle, it sensibly
diminished, and at length dried up, and we should have been obliged to
fall back, if in tracing up the little gully we had not found a pond that
enabled us to keep our ground. It often happened that we thus procured
water in detached localities when there was not a drop in the main
channels of the creeks. At this place the boiling point of the
thermometer was 212 degrees; thus bringing us again pretty nearly on a
level with the ocean, although we were at the time distant from it more
than 480 miles.

At this period we had frequent heavy winds, with a heated temperature:
yet our animals, if I except the dogs, did not suffer much. The sheep, it
is true, would sometimes refuse to stir, and assemble in the shade, when
on the march, whilst the dogs took shelter in wambut holes, and poking
their heads out, would bark at their charge to very little purpose. It
was evident, indeed, that the heat was fast increasing, and what we had
already experienced was only an earnest of that which was to follow.

Mr. Poole had now been absent thirteen days, and I began to be anxious
for his return. Our march to the second creek had again shortened his
homeward journey 70 miles, and as I felt assured he would cross the creek
at the point where we ha