turned westerly, and ran into the
heart of the interior. In order fully to determine this point, it would be
necessary to regain it banks, so far below the parallel to which it had
been traced as to leave no doubt of its identity; but it was difficult to
fix upon a plan for approaching that central stream without suffering from
the want of water, since it could hardly be expected that the Lachlan
would afford such means, as it was reasonable to presume that its
termination was very similar to that of the Macquarie. The attention of
the government was, consequently, fixed upon the Morumbidgee, a river
stated to be of considerable size and of impetuous current. Receiving its
supplies from the lofty ranges behind Mount Dromedary, it promised to hold
a longer course than those rivers which, depending on periodical rains
alone for existence, had been found so soon to exhaust themselves.

PREPARATIONS.

The fitting out of another expedition was accordingly determined upon; and
about the end of September 1829, I received the Governor's instructions to
make the necessary preparations for a second descent into the interior,
for the purpose of tracing the Morumbidgee, or such rivers as it might
prove to be connected with, as far as practicable. In the event of failure
in this object, it was hoped that an attempt to regain the banks of the
Darling on a N.W. course from the point at which the expedition might be
thwarted in its primary views, would not be unattended with success. Under
any circumstances, however, by pursuing these measures, an important part
of the colony would necessarily be traversed, of which the features were
as yet altogether unknown.

It became my interest and my object to make the expedition as complete as
possible, and, as far as in me lay, to provide for every contingency: and
as it appeared to me that, in all likelihood, we should in one stage or
other of our journey have to trust entirely to water conveyance, I
determined on taking a whale-boat, whose dimensions and strength should in
some measure be proportioned to the service required. I likewise
constructed a small still for the distillation of water, in the event of
our finding the water of the Darling salt, when we should reach its banks.
The whale-boat, after being fitted, was taken to pieces for more
convenient carriage, as has been more particularly detailed in the last
chapter of the preceding volume.

So little danger had been apprehended fr