seless to a party like mine, though the natives appeared frequently to
have resorted to it. Finding the courses of the main channel become lost
in its many branches, I ascended the dividing ridge, and crossed into the
bed of another large watercourse, in which, after travelling but a short
distance, I found a fine spring of running water among some very broken
and precipitous ranges, which rose almost perpendicularly from the
channel; in the latter, high ledges of a slaty rock stretched
occasionally quite across its bed, making it both difficult and dangerous
to get our horses along. In the vicinity of the water the grass was
tolerably good, but the declivities upon which it principally grew, were
steep and very stony.

Having hobbled the horses, I took my gun, and walked down the
watercourse, to a place where it forms a junction with a larger one, but
in neither could I find any more water. Upon my return, I found that the
native boy had caught an opossum in one of the trees near, which proved a
valuable addition to our scanty and unvaried fare. The latitude to-day
was 30 degrees 51 minutes S.

July 16.--Tracing down the watercourse we were encamped on, to the
junction before mentioned, I steered a little more to the north, to
ascend a high stony range, from which I hoped to obtain a view to the
eastward; but after considerable toil in climbing, and dragging our
horses over loose rolling stones, which put them constantly in danger of
falling back, I was not rewarded for the trouble I had taken: the view to
the east was quite shut out by high rugged ranges of ironstone and
quartz, whilst to the north, the hills appeared lower and more open.

It now became a matter of serious consideration, whether I should pursue
my researches any farther at present. I was already about 120 miles away
from my party, with barely provisions enough to last me back; and the
country, in advance, appeared to be getting daily more difficult; added
to this, the "WATERWITCH" was waiting at the head of Spencer's Gulf for
my return.

After reflecting on my position, I decided to rejoin my party without
delay; and descending the range to the S. E., I steered for a large
watercourse we had crossed in the morning; intending to trace it up, for
the purpose of examining its branches. The bed of this watercourse, at
first, was very wide, and lined with gum-trees; but as I advanced, I
found its channel became contracted, and very rocky, the gum-trees