168 SEARCH FOR WATER BY MOONLIGHT. [CH. II. 



westward, crowned what had hitherto appeared to be a flat 

 horizon. I began to discover, however, that, although ap- 

 parently flat, this horizon consisted of low ridges, intersected 

 by vallies, and I hoped to find among the former, one or two 

 rocky points which might be available to my survey. 



It was now evident that no rain had fallen in these interior 

 regions, since the summer heat had parched the earth. We 

 had passed, to-day, no water except what we saw in the 

 morning, although one green valley, which we noticed on our 

 right soon after starting, probably contained some. A fine 

 kangaroo was this day seen before us, and immediately killed 

 by the dogs. Our journey was prolonged, for the purpose 

 of arriving at a water-hole, but we could not find one. At 

 four o'clock, a view of the country beyond the mountain 

 range, opened before us; and, being anxious to gain the valley 

 which lay at its foot, I hastily efl'ected a descent, although the 

 ground was steep and rocky, in hopes of finding water before 

 it grew dark. Following the valley downwards, I succeeded, 

 but not until sunset, in finding, in a crevice of a rock, enough 

 for the men. 



The carts were then three miles behind me, and although 

 we sent by moonlight for water for the party, the poor cattle 

 could not be watered, and were consequently kept in their 

 yokes all night, to prevent their straying in search of it. 



Having examined the bed of the dry creek, to some distance 

 below the rock, where the water remained, I found its course 

 so sinuous, and its banks so steep, the valley itself having 

 no breadth, steep-sided hills closing on the deep dry channel, 

 so that it must have been almost impossible to proceed that 

 way with the party. I therefore, determined to explore the 

 country, more to the right, early next morning, expecting to 

 find, in that direction, a line of route by which we might be 

 sooner extricated from these sinuous valleys and hilly extre- 

 mities. I hoped also that we should thus reach some more 

 united chanii(;l, deep enough to rotiun a portion of the waters 

 of more favourable seasons. 



