94,0 A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY 
prospect of setting off. My diary of the occur- 
rences on board must, therefore, be again sus-7 
pended for a while, as I am appointed to be one 
of the party that is to go out this evening to re- 
lieve those who are at the tents. We left the ships 
at ten o’clock at night, and arrived at the tents at 
four o’clock next morning. 
Tuesday, 25th. — My account of all the circum- 
stances that came under our observation, from that 
period, until our return, may be comprised in very 
few words. It would, indeed, be little better than 
a mere tautology of the events of our first shooting 
excursion, if I were to relate those that occurred 
at this time. With respect, therefore, to the ani- 
mals that we met with, I have to observe only, 
that they were of the same kind as those we saw 
before ; but much fewer in number, owing, no 
doubt, to their being so much chased and disturbed 
for these six weeks past. The face of the country 
is very much improved, as far as regards its being 
much drier, and consequently better adapted for 
travelling ; but with respect to its appearance, it has 
lost very considerably in this point, for almost the 
whole of the flowers that adorned it, about a fort- 
nightor three weeks ago, have nowrunintoseed, and 
their petals are fallen off, so that the land has begun 
again to look naked. Thelakes and streams that were 
so numerous, and some of considerable size, when 
we were out about the middle of last month, are 
now almost entirely dried up; even those streams 
which we then dignified with the name of rivers, are 
now so small, that we crossed them on our return 
to-day without wetting our feet. The exhalation 
from these lakes is almost incredible, considering 
