206 THE NORTH-AUSTRALIAN EXPEDITION. 



33. I now determined on followii 

 to the westward, in hope of finding some creek or river, which, 

 descending from the ranges to the north, might enable us to cross, or 

 at least penetrate, this inhospitable region. Keeping therefore to the 

 west, along the foot of the sandstone range, on the 15th came on the 

 head of a creek in lat. 18°, long. 130°; this creek first trended north- 

 west, but soon turned to the south-west, 



34. Tor the first hundred miles the country on the right bank con- 

 sisted of vast level plains of rich soil, covered with beautiful grass ; 

 but the left bank presented a striking contrast in its low sandstone 

 ranges, producing little beside Triodia and scrub trees. 



35. The country on both banks now changed gradually to a sandy 

 desert, with low barren sandstone hills, and long parallel ridges of red 

 drifting sand, straight, equal in height, and with a direction exactly 

 cast and west. This desert country was not altogether destitute of 



jgetation, but thinly covered with Triodia (the Spinifex of Australian ex- 

 plorers) and a few scattered bushes of Eucalyptus, Acacia, and Hakea. 



36. After following the stream-bed, which I named Start's Creek, 

 for nearly three hundred miles, its channel terminated in a series of 

 dry salt lakes, which occupied the lower portion of a large depression 

 of the sandy desert, the centre being in lat. 20° 16', long. 127° 35', 

 and nine hundred feet above the sea-level. 



37. No outlet for the waters of these lakes could be discovered, 

 though carefully sought for ; and the great height at which the inun- 

 dations of the country had remained for considerable periods, was evi- 

 dent from the abundance of mussel-shells which remained in their 

 natural position, embedded in the soil twenty feet above the dry bed of 

 the lake, and more than a mile beyond its ordinary limits. 



38. Surrounded on all sides by a sandy desert, in which it was 

 hopeless to look for water or grass, and deprived of these essentials, 

 which the creek had afforded in sufficient quantity to enable us to pro- 

 ceed thus far into this inhospitable region, it was useless to attempt to 

 penetrate the country to the southward, and no alternative remained 

 but to retrace our steps while it continued practicable ; for as no regular 

 rains had fallen in this part of the country for at least twelve months, 

 our supply of water had generally been derived from small muddy pud- 

 dles, which resulted from heavy thunder-showers which had fallen in the 

 early part of the month. Most of those water-holes had now dried up ; 



