d the overseer to keep them from
returning to the well. The single sheep now left had also given us a good
deal of trouble, it was frightened at being alone, and frustrated all our
efforts to yard it, preferring to accompany and remain with the
horses,--an arrangement we were obliged to acquiesce in.

March 31.--The morning broke wild and lowering, and the sand blew
fearfully about from the drifts among which the water was. Our well had
tumbled in during the night, and we had to undergo considerable labour
before we could water the horses. After clearing it out, we gave each of
them seven gallons, and again sent them away to the grass, letting the
native boys watch them during the day, whilst we rested for a few hours,
shifted our camp to a more sheltered place, weighed out a week's
allowance of flour at half a pound each per day, and made sundry other
necessary arrangements.

Fearful of losing our only remaining sheep, if left to wander about, we
made a strong yard to put it into at nights, for a long time, however, we
could not get it to go near the yard, and only succeeded at last by
leading in a horse first, behind which it walked quite orderly.

April 1.--The last night had been bitterly cold and frosty, and as we
were badly clad, and without the means of making a large or permanent
fire, we all felt acutely the severity of the weather. After breakfast, I
left the overseer and natives to clear out the well, which had again
fallen in, and water the horses, whilst I walked five miles along the
beach to the westward, and then turned inland to examine the sand-drifts
there and search for grass. Behind the drifts I found some open sandy
plains, with a coarse kind of dry grass upon them, and as they were not
far from where the natives had dug wells for water, I thought the place
might suit us to encamp at for a time when we left our present position.
In returning to the camp, through the scrub behind the coast, I shot a
fine wallabie, and saw several others; but having only cartridges with
me, I did not like to cut up the balls for ammunition.

April 2.--Another severe cold frosty night made us fully sensible that
the winter was rapidly closing in upon us, notwithstanding the
ill-provided and unprotected state we were in to encounter its
inclemencies. Our well had again tumbled in, and gave us a good deal of
trouble, besides, each successive clearing out deepened it considerably,
and this took us to a level where the