Observeks' Field Reports 113 



hills. The day before arriving we were held up by rain. We had also had rain at Alice 

 Springs, but no considerable fall was again experienced till after leaving Katherine, at the 

 northern end of the overland line. Mr. Scott, in charge at Barrow Creek, gave us quarters 

 at the station during our stay and was most kind. Between Barrow Creek, which we left 

 on July 18, and Tennants Creek, the country is varied in character. At one place there is a 

 spinifex-covered plain 30 niiles mde without any vegetation suitable for feed, while later 

 among some curious, rounded, granite blocks called "The Devil's Marbles" occurs a plant 

 which is virulently poisonous to stock. 



Tennants Creek, 150 miles from Barrow Creek, was reached on July 25 and the hos- 

 pitaUty typical of the "Overland Telegraph" was met with at the hands of Mr. Dixon, the 

 postmaster. On Jul}!- 29, Banka Banka, 60 miles from Temiants Creek, was reached. 

 Here there was a large congregation of blackfellows and an important "corroboree" was in 

 progress. We were able to see several minor celebrations in which dances illustrative of 

 travel and the chase were performed. 



The stretch of 120 miles between Tennants Creek and Powell's Creek was covered by 

 August 2. At Renner Spring on August 1 we had encountered a drover who, accompanied 

 by only two blacks, had been traveling south with 100 horses but had been seized with a 

 severe attack of malarial fever and was in a very bad condition. After our arrival, under 

 the stimulus of white company and a Uttle nourishment, he improved, and after getting 

 word of his phght through to Powell's Creek we were able to leave him. Kind treatment 

 was again met with at Powell's Creek, where Mr. Kennedy was in charge of the telegraph 

 station. 



Leaving Powell's Creek on August 6, we arrived at Newcastle Waters on August 8; 

 our stay here was made pleasant by Mr. S. Y. Smith, the storekeeper. We resumed the 

 journey on August 10, accompanied by Mr. Macgregor Knox, who had requested to be 

 allowed to travel with us from Newcastle Waters. Daly Waters telegraph station, 150 

 miles from Powell's Creek, was reached on August 15. Since leaving Tennants Creek we 

 had found the camel-feed getting poorer and scarcer, while poison bushes became prevalent, 

 but, though accounts of the track ahead were conflicting, we had stUl hoped to be able to 

 get through with the camels to Pine Creek. By the time Daly Waters was reached, however, 

 the camels were becoming poor in condition ; at this station one of them was poisoned and 

 had to be shot. It thus became obvious that a change in plans was necessary. After a 

 series of consultations, Mr. Holtze, the officer who was in charge of the telegraph station, 

 promised to lend horses and a dray, the only vehicle available, with which we could continue 

 the journey if the necessary permission were first obtained from Mr. Waddy, the Deputy 

 Postmaster-General, in Adelaide; this permission was courteously granted. I, therefore, 

 immediately sent the camels back to Oodnadatta in charge of Mr. Fisher. As a number of 

 repairs had to be made to the dray it was August 21 before Messrs. Knox, Cox, and myself 

 were able to leave Daly Waters. A week of hard work and considerable anxiety followed. 

 In this part of the country it is necessary to rest horses during the hottest part of the day 

 and to have several changes of horses available. We found that only one pair of our horses 

 would pull the dray and even these horses required careful management. Consequently 

 we had to walk for the greater part of the time and were frequently compelled to move the 

 whole outfit by main force to get the horses started. As our progress was slower than 

 anticipated we had to go on short rations of food. In this countrj^ 2 days without water 

 is usually sufficient to cause a man to succumb, and more than 2 days without water will 

 kill horses. The weather was very hot and there was one dry stage of 40 miles. The prob- 

 ability of our having to abandon the dray and outfit and save ourselves was imminent for 

 several days. However, we managed to pidl through to Elsey Creek (100 miles), where we 

 were fortunate enough to find a station manager a long way from his usual base, putting 

 up fences. He kindly supplied us with more horses and food, so that from there to Kath- 

 erine we progressed more easily. 



