north-easterly course, to ascertain the practicability of proceeding in
that direction, taking two of the strongest horses. After riding four
hours over an open, scrubby sand-plain, with circular valleys, we again
fell in with thickets of wattles so dense that, although burnt by the
native fires about four years previous, they would have been impassable
for the pack-horses; but, favoured by this circumstance, we penetrated
the thicket in a north-north-west direction for about twelve miles. From
one small sandy ridge we had an extensive view, but of a most
discouraging nature; the whole country was one vast plain, covered with
dense thickets and scrub as far as the eye could reach, except to the
west-north-west, where rose a high and barren ridge, which would not have
been visible but for excessive refraction, as it must have been more than
twenty-five miles distant. The plain was still dotted over with the
remarkable circular hollows or valleys which, by their extreme dryness,
indicated a great depth of sandy soil, incapable of retaining water on
the surface even for a short time, or any probability of our obtaining it
by digging. We turned in disappointment towards the encampment, scarcely
extricating ourselves from the thickets before it became dark. Having
gained the sand-plain, we continued our return for several hours,
steering by the stars, hoping by a night march to avoid the scorching
effects of the sun, which at this season renders travelling over an
extensive sandy plain very fatiguing. Having been more than eleven hours
in the saddle, we halted for the night.

4th October.

Started with the dawn, and pushing our tired and hungry horses over the
plain as fast as circumstances would admit, arrived at the encampment
before the heat of the day became excessive. During our absence two more
waterholes had been excavated, and sufficient water obtained for the