d left
among some bushes, all our baggage, pack-saddles, etc. After passing about
five miles beyond the sand-drifts where I had seen the cockatoos and
pigeons, one of the horses became completely exhausted and could not
proceed any further; I was necessitated therefore to tie him to a bush
and push on with the other two to save them.

When I left my party on the 22nd, I had directed them to remove to some
water-holes behind Point Fowler, but, as I had not seen this place
myself, I was obliged to steer in the dark in some measure at random, not
knowing exactly where they were. The greatest part of our route being
through a dense brush, we received many scratches and bruises from the
boughs as we led our horses along, to say nothing of the danger we were
constantly in of having our eyes put out by branches we could not see,
and which frequently brought us to a stand still by painful blows across
the face. At last we arrived at the open plains I had crossed on my
outward track, and following them down came to two deep holes in the
limestone rock, similar to the one behind Point Brown. By descending into
these holes we found a little water, and were enabled to give each of the
horses three pints; we then pushed on again, hoping to reach the camp,
but getting entangled among the scrub, were obliged at midnight to halt
until daylight appeared, being almost as much exhausted as the horses,
and quite as much in want of water, for we had not tasted the little that
had been procured from the hole found in the plains.

November 25.--At the first streak of daylight we moved on, and in one
mile and a half reached the camp near Point Fowler, before any of the
party were up. We had guessed our course well in the dark last night, and
could not have gone more direct had it been daylight. Having called up
the party and made them get a hasty breakfast, I hurried off a dray
loaded with water, and accompanied by the overseer, one man, and the
black boy, to follow up our tracks to where the tired horse had been
tied. During my absence I found that every thing but the cart had been
landed from the cutter, and safely brought up to the camp, and that as
soon as that was on shore she would be ready to go and lie at anchor at
Denial Bay.

About noon I was greatly surprised and vexed to see my overseer return
driving the loose horses before him. It seemed that whilst feeding around
the camp they had observed the dray and other horses going away