ting the
kangaroo; frequently intimating to us that it had already been cooked,
and evidently pitying the want of taste which prevented us from
appreciating their skill in the culinary art.

January 14.--Upon our leaving this morning the natives buried in the sand
the remains of their kangaroo, and accompanied us a mile or two on our
road, then turning in among the sand-hills they returned to renew their
feast. They had been eating almost incessantly ever since they arrived at
the water yesterday, and during the night they had repeatedly got up for
the same purpose. The appetites of these people know no restraint when
they have the means of gratifying them; they have no idea of temperance
or prudence, and are equally regardless of the evil resulting from excess
as they are improvident in preparing for the necessities of the
morrow--"sufficient (literally so to them) for the day is the evil
thereof."

In our route to-day instead of following round the sea-shore, we struck
across behind the sand-hills, from "Yeerkumban-kauwe" to the water we had
first found on the 7th of January, and in doing so we passed along a
large but shallow salt-water lake, which the natives had pointed to on
the evening of the 7th, when I made inquiries relative to the existence
of salt water inland. The margin of this lake was soft and boggy, and we
were nearly losing one of our horses which sank unexpectedly in the mud.
About noon we arrived at the camp, from which I had sent the man back on
the 6th, and having picked up the water and other things left there,
proceeded to the sand-hills near which we had halted during the intense
heat of that day. We now rested for several hours, and again moved
onwards about eleven at night to avoid the great heat of the day whilst
crossing the sandy country before us.

January 15.--At sunrise we arrived at the undulating plains, where twenty
gallons of water had been left buried for us. Here I found the overseer
with two fresh horses, according to the instructions I had sent him on
the 6th, by the man who returned. After resting for an hour or two, I set
off with the native boy upon the fresh horses, and rode to the water at
the sand-drifts, leaving the overseer to bring on the tired animals the
next day. It was nearly dark when we arrived at the plain under the
sand-hills, and very late before we had watered the horses and brought
them back to the grass.

January 16.--After breakfast, in returning from th