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unmapped country we found we were in a country drier than 

 we had up to then met with. On the sixth day our water- 

 casks were getting low, and no water being found I very 

 reluctantly gave orders to retrace our steps. Just here we 

 met with some natives who had been in the habit of visiting 

 Charlotte Waters at this time of the year; they told us they 

 had to turn back, and two of their number had nearly lost 

 their lives. Returning on our outward tracks for over two 

 days, the natives struck out to the west and induced us to 

 follow; we had not gone far when they revealed to us a nice 

 rockhole of water, which relieved us of much anxiety. 



Our course now lay over very broken and rough country, 

 mostly ranges running east and west, till Love Creek station 

 was reached. For some time before we reached the station 

 the country improved, and for many miles we followed a 

 high narrow ridge of rocks, like a huge wall in many places, 

 not more than 2 ft. thick, through which many holes were 

 weathered, and this strange wall of rock continued as far as. 

 the eye could see, stretching south-west and north-east. 

 After giving our camels a rest here for awhile we struck 

 out to the south again, passing through a gap in the range, 

 and made another attempt into the dry country, this time 

 more to the west. After our water supply had run low we 

 found the small spring called Urinilla Spring. It was then 

 choked up, and a few hours were spent in opening it 'out, 

 with the result that a fair supply of water was obtained. This 

 must have been a great camping place of the natives in days 

 gone by, for the ground was strewn with stone chippings. 

 Above floodmark, under a ledge of sandstone near the spring, 

 numbers of native paintings were seen. One of our cow 

 camels having calved the night we arrived here, she was given- 

 two days' spell, and then we moved on again to the south, 

 over sandstone ridges which alternated with plains covered 

 with mulga, and later high sandhills were met with rising 

 to the height of 50 to 70 ft. on their perpendicular sides. I 

 once more altered our course and stood more to the west, 

 which brought us to the Hugh River. The weather was now 

 becoming very hot and flies troublesome. Ants were in mil- 

 lions, crawling into our food and specimen cases ; in fact, 

 they were everywhere. From here we pushed on to New 

 Crown Point, and then to Charlotte Waters Telegraph Sta- 

 tion, where we received our mails after many weeks out from 

 Alice Springs. 



Our course was now more westerly, and in the blazing 

 heat passed over gibber tablelands. After crossing the 

 Abminga Creek into South Australia, traversing some very- 

 stony country, arrived at Eringa (one of Mr. S. Kidman's. 



