BY FRANK HANN. 11 



20ft. dfebp. The water is fair in many of fcheni, but for want of 

 consfcanij use hav: become stagnant in a few. However, we got 

 along very well in spite of the eternal red sand and, having 

 passed the 90 mile beach, arrived at Condon, eighteen miles 

 froiu De Grey's station, on the De Grey River, named by the 

 latt F. T. Gregory. Then passed several stations before reaching 

 Rofbourne. All the settlers get water out of wells, all worked 

 by blacks. At Roebourne I only remained long enough to 

 replenish the ration bags, and then followed the Fortescue River 

 up to the head, whence I struck north-east to the Narradine 

 gold diggings. Now came another dry trip out into the desert 

 country to the head of the Oakover, after crossing which I met 

 Mr. Rudali, who was out looking for some members of Wells' 

 expedition who were lost. Before I met Rudali, I had named a 

 river, which I had struck about 100 miles north-east of the 

 Oakover, the Rudali. Certainly, I was not the first to see it, but 

 as I knew it had not been named, thought myself entitled to 

 give it a name by which it might be known on the map, and it 

 has since been charted on the official maps under that name. 



It is a peculiar stream, rising inland towards the west and 

 losing itself in the desert towards the east. It is remarkable 

 that there are no fish to be found in it. This little deviation 

 completed I returned with my party to the Narradine, crossed 

 the Oakover and went out to Mount McPherson, which was 

 named by the late Mr. F. T. Gregory, who nearly perished in 

 his expedition of 1S61, having lost all his horses, had to 

 walk back to their main camp, where he had only three horses 

 left, I then set about erecting a trigonometrical cairn on 

 Mount McPherson. 



I had already lost several horses. Some died from poison bush 

 and from other causes, three had their thighs broken owing to being 

 kicked by other horses, one broke its shoulder by a fall, another 

 broke its leg, two got their feet entangled with the spare hobbles 

 round their necks and had killed themselves in their struggles. 

 These were the saddest cases I have ever witnessed. Unable to 

 extricate their feet they had evidently thrown themselves 

 vi-olently about during the night. One oi them had torn hii eye 

 out and was fearfully lacerated about the head. To make the 

 loss still greater, after leaving IMount McPherson, I came across 

 a small water hole at the head of the Oakover. Thinking to 

 refresh the^ animals I put them in for a swim, and six were 

 drowned. This event disgusted me with the trip, and I was 

 about to return to Queensland, when at Derby I met Inspector 



