ugh I stood full 80 feet above the lake, I could not
distinguish any thing like a hill on the distant horizon. To the
westward, as a medium point, there were a succession of sandy ridges,
similar to that on which I stood; but to the S.W. there seemed to be an
interval of plain. As the thunder storm had reached as far as the place
where we last slept, I did not doubt but that it had also reached the
lake, and on consideration determined to keep as northerly a course as
circumstances would permit, in pushing into a country in which I was
meeting new difficulties every hour. Descending, therefore, on a bearing
of 340 degrees, I went to a distance of six miles before coming to a
small puddle at which I was glad to halt, it being the only drinkable
water we had seen. Here we dug a third well, although, like the first,
there was but little chance of benefiting by it. It behoved me therefore
to be still more careful in increasing my distance from the creek, so
that on the morning of the 17th I thought it prudent to search for some,
and as the country appeared open to the south, I turned to that point in
the hope of success.

We crossed some low sand hills to a swamp in which there was a good deal
of surface water, but none of a permanent kind. We then crossed the N.W.
extremity of an extensive grassy plain, similar to those I have already
described, but infinitely larger. It continued, indeed, for many miles to
the south, passing between all the sandy points jutting into it; and so
closely was the Desert allied to fertility at this point, and I may say
in these regions, that I stood more than once with one foot on
salsolaceous plants growing in pure sand, with the other on luxuriant
grass, springing up from rich alluvial soil. At two miles and a quarter
from the swamp, striking a native path we followed it up to the S.W.,
and, at three-quarters of a mile, we reached two huts that had been built
on a small rise of ground, with a few low trees near them. Our situation
was too precarious to allow of my passing these huts without a strict
search round about, for I was sure that water was not far off; and at
length we found a small, narrow, and deep channel of but a few yards in
length, hid in long grass, at a short distance from them. The water was
about three feet deep, and was so sheltered that I made no doubt it would
last for ten days or a fortnight. Grateful for the success that had
attended our search, I allowed the horses to