86 



HORN EXPHDITIOX — NAHKATIVE. 



iKH'ds to have tniVL'lIrd for two or tlircc tiays at least in hot woatluu' o\vv sandy 

 country without any water to spare t'oi' such a pucpose. Perliaps ;it'ter' a cei'tain 

 length of abstinence tlie desifc to wash passes away, hut w(^ had just liac) loni^ 

 enough away from water to make us appreciate it fioni this jioint of view to 

 the full 



tiiles in " Australia twice travei-sed "* speaks of there being pcriiuuiciit water 

 at Ayers Itock. Mr. Cowle, who liad previously visited tlie llock, found the 

 watei' supply at the time of our visit considerably diminished, in fact no water 

 was coming down from tlu^ I'ock, and it could only Ije a (juestion of time as to 

 wiien tiie two oi' three already small but fortunately sheltered holes around the 

 base Would be completely drietl uji. 



* \\\ 

 Portion of Ayejis Rock showing a Detached Column. 



fn a dry season it would be very unsafe indeed to rely upon finding water at 

 Ayers llock, the neai'est permanent pool to which is some eighty-five miles away 

 to the north (in a straight line) in the Ueorge Gill Range, across the desert 

 sandhill country in tlie midst of which lies Lake Amadeus. If the latter were not 

 passable then a long detour would have to be made to get round its eastern end. 



Our camping ground was in the d(H.'p chasm referred to before, and lying 

 down in the open at night we could see just a small patch of sky overhead, shut in 

 by the rocks which overhung so as to form almost a funnel, narrowing from Ijelow 

 upwards. 



* Vol. ii., \i. 02. 



