rj"-! HORN EXPIiDITION NAURATIVK 



III tlic accoiiijiaiiyiiig illusti'atioii two INIulya trees ai'f sliowii; tin- Alulgu 

 .scrub to whicli such frcfjucut reference is made iii all descri})tioiis of the interior 

 of \usti'alia, consists of a dense growth of trees such as these. Tiieir thin, wiry 

 lira-nches, when cU'ad, are like long thorns and are veiy apt to run into the feet of 

 horses or camels and fre(iuently give rise to painful, festering sores. As a general 

 rule the trees, which do not usu.ally reach a much gi eater height than fifteen or 

 twenty feet and often less, grow very close together — so close that, next perhaps 

 to tra\eliing o\er Poi'cupine co\ered siuidliills, the pi^netration of Mulga- scrulj is 

 the most disagreeable and disheartening task attendant upon journeying through 

 Central Australia. 





Mulga Trees (Aca(i<i ancnnij. 



We camped in the scrub after travelling some twenty miles. Our time was 

 rapidly drawing to a close as we were really due back in Adelaide at the lieginning 

 of August and it was now 9th July and we wcue still some little distance from 

 Alice Springs, the journey down from which e\(3n though it lay along the overland 

 track would occupy some thi'ee weeks. 



Mr. Horn's rough sketch of the route which he ilesired us if possible to follow 

 indicated our striking somewhat northwards again so as to reach the McDonnell 

 I'anges at or about Paisley JjlutF. Mr. Winnecke's previous experience showed that 

 there would be very great dilliculty attending upon any attempt to take the main 

 camel train across tlu; ranges, in fact that it was out of the (juestion to try to do 

 so. It was therefore deciiled that the main train under charge of Dr. Stirling- 

 should continue travelling eastwards along the Missionary Plains and then reach 

 Alice Si)rings by way of Owens Springs, always keeping to the south of tin; 



