and the valley wider. At seven miles discovered some rock water in the
middle of a valley with plenty of salt bush and green grass, first rate
for the horses, which have had nothing to eat for two nights. I shall
give them the rest of the day to recover. They were beginning to be very
much done up, and it was with difficulty we could get them to face the
spinifex. Shot a pigeon and had him for supper. We have seen where a
horse has been a long time ago. Distance to-day, seven miles.

Tuesday, 10th August, Rock Water. Started at 8.30 on a bearing of 180
degrees. Camped at eighteen miles without water, and a very little food
for the horses, only a little salt bush. The appearance of a change from
the dreary desert lasted only for about one mile from where we camped
last night; it then became even worse than before--the sand hills higher,
steeper and closer together, the spinifex thicker and higher; we got the
horses through it with difficulty. It rained all last night and all day.
There is some rising ground to the west. Distance to-day, eighteen miles.

Wednesday, 11th August, Dense Scrub. Left our camp at 8 on the same
bearing, 180 degrees. At 9 obliged to halt for the remainder of the day,
the horses being too tired to proceed further; the fearful sand hills are
very trying for them. To-day's few miles have been through the same
DREARY, DREADFUL, DISMAL DESERT of heavy sand hills and spinifex with
mallee very dense, scarcely a mouthful for the horses to eat. When will
it have an end? We again saw the rising ground a little to the north of
west of us; I should have gone and examined it, but our small remaining
quantity of provisions being nearly exhausted, I could not venture; my
object now being to make Fowler's Bay for water for our horses, and
thence to Streaky Bay, to endeavour to get some provisions there to carry
us home. We have now travelled considerably upwards of a thousand miles,
and in that journey my horses have had only four clear days to