ould not get away. She evidently preferred facing
any danger to parting with her child. Windich spoke to her, and she
talked away quietly, and did not seem much afraid. We could not
understand anything she said, so allowed her to follow her husband, who
certainly did not come up to our standard of gallantry. We continued on
until we reached our outward tracks, and I was much relieved to find that
the party had not gone on. We found a little water in a small rock hole,
and rested two hours, as our pack-horse (Little Brown) was knocked up. We
continued on about five miles, and camped on a patch of feed in a range,
without water. Little Brown was so knocked up that we had great
difficulty in getting him to walk.

August 1st.
Steering westerly for about eight miles, reached our bivouac of the 28th,
and gave our horses the water from the drums. Continued on, making
straight for camp; stayed two hours to give the horses a rest, and when
within fifteen miles of camp found a rock hole with about 100 gallons of
water in it. Little Brown completely gave in, and we were obliged to
leave him. Pushed on and reached the party a little after dark, and found
all well, having been absent five days, in which time we had travelled
about 200 miles.

2nd (Sunday).
My brother and Pierre went on a flying trip to the South-East in search
of water. Kennedy and myself went and brought Little Brown and
pack-saddle, etc., to camp. Windich shot an emu; saw about twenty.
Thermometer 95 degrees in sun during the day; barometer 28.62 at 5 p.m.

PREPARING FOR A STRUGGLE.

I now began to be much troubled about our position, although I did not
communicate my fears to any but my brother. We felt confident we could
return if the worst came, although we were over 1000 miles from the
settled districts of Western Australia. The water at our camp was fast
drying up, and would not last more than a fortnight. The next water was
sixty miles back, and there seemed no probability of getting eastward. I
knew we were now in the very country that had driven Mr. Gosse back. I
have since found it did the same for Mr. Giles. No time was to be lost. I
was determined to make the best use of it if only the water would last,
and to keep on searching. (Even now, months after the time, sitting down
writing this journal, I cannot but recall my feelings of anxiety at this
camp.) Just when the goal of my ambition and my hopes for years past was
almost within reach, it appear