22 INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 



bordering the creek. The " bullock-dray track " finally ceased at the 

 edge of a steep bank at the creek. The other track, when we traced it 

 further, ended at a log and at two stumps of broken branches. It 

 was thus evident that these seeming tracks were inade by logs carried 

 across the flats by flood waters, and the absence of tracks of cattle or 

 horses, which should have been visible if the drays had crossed in wet 

 weather, was accounted for. It possibly also accounts for the fact 

 that Burke's party could not find the cattle or horse tracks. I was 

 pleased to be able to solve this puzzle, because one of my party — 

 Sampson, an " overlander " of great experience - firmly maintained 

 that they were dray tracks until he saw the logs at the end of the 

 " wheel " tracks. 



The journey for the next three days was uneventful, excepting that 

 we found a creek in our way running bank and bank. It kept us back 

 for a day, which we spent in getting our equipment and stores across 

 by swinging them with a rope fastened to a tree growing on a small 

 island, and in crossing our horses and camels. The latter positively 

 refused to go into the water, but were circumvented by making them 

 sit down on the bank, and then as they rose up and were off their balance 

 we toppled them into the stream and hauled them across. A more 

 helpless beast under such circumstances I never saw, and as they waded 

 through the deep mud on the other side they drew their feet out of it 

 with a sound like drawing a gigantic cork. 



On the fourth morning we ascended stony hills, which Sturt saw 

 from a distance and named the Stokes Eange. On the side we 

 ascended the range sloped gently upwards, the ground being covered 

 with sharp fragmejits of flinty stone. Numerous deep gorges inter- 

 sected the range lying across our course and making travelling difficult, 

 while the half-dead mulga made it worse by tearing our packs and 

 clothes. AVe camped at the edge of a deep, scrubby gorge, with plenty 

 of dry grass, but no water. 



On the following morning we had difficulty in crossing the gorge, 

 which was overgrown with mulga, interspersed with numerous great 

 blocks of stone. For several hours we forced our way over similar 

 country, including two dry creeks, flanked by precipitous stony ranges. 

 It was a happy chance that none of the horses or camels as they 

 floundered about among the blocks of stone did not disable themselves. 

 I could not believe that camels could have carried their loads up and 

 down such places as we crossed that day. Then we ascended to a 

 stony tableland, almost devoid of vegetation, from which we could see 

 some remarkable flat-topped hills, the characteristic desert sandstone 



