the extremity of the plain; but it had no apparent outlet
excepting to the E.S.E. I therefore proceeded on that course for three
miles, when we lost sight of all gum-trees, and found ourselves amongst
scrub. Low bushes bounded the horizon all round, and hid the grassy
plains from our view; but they were denser to the south and east than at
any other point. Mount Lyell, the large hill south, bore 140 degrees to
the east of north, distant between forty and fifty miles. A short time
after we left the grassy flats we crossed the dry bed of a large lagoon,
which had been seen by Mr. Poole on a bearing of 77 degrees from the
Magnetic Hill. In the richer soil, a plant with round, striped fruit upon
it, of very bitter taste, a species of cucumber, was growing. We next
proceeded to the eastward, and surveying the country from higher ground,
observed that the creek had no outlet from the plains, and that it could
not but terminate on them.

As I had no object in a prolonged journey to the south, I turned back
from this station, and retracing my steps to the water where we had left
the natives, reached it at half-past six. All our friends were still
there; we had, therefore, the pleasure of passing another afternoon with
them, during which they were joined by two other natives, with their
families, who had been driven in from the south, like ourselves, by the
want of water. They assured us that all the water in that quarter had
disappeared, "that the sun had taken it," and that we should not find a
drop to the eastward, where I told them I was going. All these men,
excepting one, had been circumcised. The single exception had the left
fore-tooth of his upper jaw extracted, and I therefore concluded that he
belonged to a different tribe. I had hoped to have seen many more natives
in this locality; but it struck me, from what I observed, that they were
dispersed at the different water-holes, there being no one locality
capable of supporting any number.

The low and flooded track I have been describing must be dreadfully cold
during the winter season, and the natives, who are wholly unprovided for
inclemency of any kind, must suffer greatly from exposure; but at this
time the temperature still continued very high, and the constant
appearance of the deep purple tint opposite to the rising and setting sun
seemed to indicate a continuance of it.

As our horses had had some long journeys for the last three days, we
merely returned to o