now quite exhausted, and having already lived for many days upon a very
low diet, we looked out anxiously for the expected relay. About four
o'clock, Mr. Scott, two men, and five horses arrived, bringing us
supplies; so that no time had been lost after the arrival of my
messenger. The hole having been previously enlarged and cleared out, no
difficulty was experienced in watering the horses, and about sunset all
encamped together under the sand-hills at the grassy plain.

December 11.--Leaving directions with Mr. Scott to take back to the
depot, to-morrow, the two horses we had been working so severely, and
which were now recruiting a little; and giving orders to the two men to
follow the dray track to the north-west tomorrow, with the three fresh
horses, I once more set off with the native boy to revisit the scene of
our late disasters; and recover the dray and other things we had
abandoned. We passed by the three dead horses on our route, now lying
stiff and cold; in our situation a melancholy spectacle, and which
awakened gloomy and cheerless anticipations for the future, by reminding
us of the crippled state of our resources, and of the dreadful character
of the inhospitable region we had to penetrate. At dark we came to the
little plain where the dray was, and found both it and our baggage
undisturbed; nor was it apparent that any natives had visited the place
since we left it. During the evening a few slight showers fell, which,
with a heavy dew, moistened the withered grass, and enabled our horses to
feed tolerably well.

December 12.--I had proceeded a day in advance of the men and horses
coming to recover the dray, in order that I might satisfy myself whether
there was water or not near the plains to the east or north-east, as
there were some grounds for supposing that such might be the case, from
the fact of so many natives having been twice seen there, and the
probability that they had remained for five days in the neighbourhood.
To-day I devoted to a thorough examination of the country around; and,
accompanied by the boy, proceeded early away to the north-east, returning
southerly, and then crossing back westerly to the camp. We travelled over
a great extent of ground, consisting principally of very dense scrub,
with here and there occasional grassy openings; but no where could we
observe the slightest indications of the existence of water, although the
traces of natives were numerous and recent; and we tra