than prudence would have allowed; in the meantime, however, we
were at least deriving benefit from rest.

On mature consideration, I thought the quarter in which we should have
most chance of success would be a course a little to the east of north,
for the day Mr. Browne and I rode up the creek it appeared to me that the
country was more open in that direction. I thought it better, however, to
make for the sandy tongue of land in the centre of the plain, in which
the creek appeared to take its rise, and to be guided by circumstances
both in the examination of that plain, and the course I should ultimately
pursue. The cart being fit for use on the morning of the 12th we again
left the creek, and at four miles on an east by north course arrived at
the sand hill to which I desired to go; from that point I proceeded to
the N.N.W., that appearing to be the general direction of the creek
upwards; but as there were lines of box-trees on both sides of us, those
to our left being denser than the right, I moved for them over a plain of
about five miles in breadth, but so full of cracks and fissures that we
had great difficulty in crossing it. Not-withstanding, however, that the
cart fell constantly into them, we got it safely over. Not finding any
water under or near the trees I turned a little to the north, keeping
wide of the creek; but, coming on its channel again at five miles, I
halted, because there happened to be a little grass there, and we were
fortunate enough, after some perseverance, to find a muddy puddle that
served the horses, however unfit for our use. From the appearance of the
plain before us, I hardly anticipated success in our undertaking. We had
evidently arrived near the head of the creek, and I felt assured that if
the features of the country here, were similar to those of other parts of
the interior, we should, between where we then were, and some distant
sand hills, again find ourselves travelling over a salt formation. The
evening had closed in with a cloudy sky, and the wind at W.N.W., and
during the night we had two or three flying showers, but they were really
in mockery of rain, nor was any vestige of it to be seen in the morning,
which broke with a clear sky, and the wind from the S.E.

As soon as morning dawned we saddled our horses and made for the head of
the plain, crossing bare and heavy ground until we neared the sand hills,
when observing that I was leaving the creek, which I was anxious to tr