evening to the water.

At night, the whole party were, by God's blessing, once more together,
and in safety, after having passed over one hundred and thirty-five miles
of desert country, without a drop of water in its whole extent, and at a
season of the year the most unfavourable for such an undertaking. In
accomplishing this distance, the sheep had been six and the horses five
days without water, and both had been almost wholly without food for the
greater part of the time. The little grass we found was so dry and
withered, that the parched and thirsty animals could not eat it after the
second day. The day following our arrival at the water was one of intense
heat, and had we experienced such on our journey, neither men nor horses
could ever have accomplished it; most grateful did we feel, therefore, to
that merciful Being who had shrouded us from a semi-tropical sun, at a
time when our exposure to it would have ensured our destruction.

From the 12th to the 18th we remained at the sand-drifts, during which
time we were engaged in attending to the horses, in sending back to
recover the stores that had been left by the overseer, and in examining
the country around. The natives had told me that there were two watering
places at the termination of the cliffs to the eastward, and that these
were situated in a somewhat similar manner to those at the head of the
Great Bight. We were encamped at one, and I made several ineffectual
attempts to find the other during the time the horses were recruiting.
The traces of natives near us were numerous, and once we saw their fires,
but they did not shew themselves at all. The line of cliffs which had so
suddenly turned away from the sea, receded inland from eight to ten
miles, but still running parallel with the coast; between it and the sea
the country was low and scrubby, with many beds of dried up salt lakes;
but neither timber nor grass, except the little patch we were encamped
at. Above the cliffs the appearance of the country was the same as we had
previously found upon their summits, with, perhaps, rather more scrub;
pigeons were numerous at the sand-hills, and several flocks of
red-crested and red-winged cockatoos were hovering about, watching for an
opportunity to feast upon the red berries I have before spoken of, and
which were here found in very great abundance, and of an excellent
quality. The sand, as usual at our encampments, was a most dreadful
annoyance, and from wh