ay before it; the horses stood with their backs to the
wind, and their noses to the ground, without the muscular strength to
raise their heads; the birds were mute, and the leaves of the trees,
under which we were sitting, fell like a snow shower around us. At noon I
took a thermometer, graduated to 127 degrees, out of my box, and observed
that the mercury was up to 125 degrees. Thinking that it had been unduly
influenced, I put it in the fork of a tree close to me, sheltered alike
from the wind and the sun. In this position I went to examine it about an
hour afterwards, when I found that the mercury had risen to the top of
the instrument, and that its further expansion had burst the bulb, a
circumstance that I believe no traveller has ever before had to record. I
cannot find language to convey to the reader's mind an idea of the
intense and oppressive nature of the heat that prevailed. We had reached
our destination however before the worst of the hot wind set in; but all
the water that now remained in the once broad and capacious pool to which
I have had such frequent occasion to call the attention of the reader,
was a shining patch of mud nearly in the centre. We were obliged to dig a
trench for the water to filter into during the night, and by this means
obtained a scanty supply for our horses and ourselves.

About sunset the wind shifted to the west, a cloud passed over us, and we
had heavy thunder; but a few drops of rain only fell. They partially
cooled the temperature, and the night was less oppressive than the day
had been. We had now a journey of 86 miles before us: to its results I
looked with great anxiety and doubt. I took every precaution to fortify
the horses, and again reduced the loads, keeping barely a supply of flour
for a day or two. Before dawn we were up, and drained the last drop of
water, if so it could be called, out of the little trench we had made,
and reserving a gallon for the first horse that should fall, divided the
residue among them. Just as the morning was breaking, we left the creek,
and travelled for 36 miles. I then halted until the moon should rise, and
was glad to see that the horses stood it well. At seven we resumed the
journey, and got on tolerably well until midnight, when poor Bawley, my
favourite horse, fell; but we got him up again, and abandoning his
saddle, proceeded onwards. At a mile, however, he again fell, when I
stopped, and the water revived him. I now hoped he would s