20 CENTRAL AUSTRALIAN 



meant only for one, had now to cover Billy, myself, and the three 

 camel saddles. I woke at intervals to hear the rain pouring 

 steadily down. 



Saturday, May 4th. — Bar. 27'625in., ther. 61°.— At daybreak I 

 was up, but not out, for it was pouring hard. Owing to the mishap 

 of last night the tent was leaking in several places. Billy started 

 a fire, and during a temporary lull we managed to get our break- 

 fast, but we were prisoners in the tent the whole day, owing to 

 the incessant rain. 



/Sunday, May 5th. — Bar. 27"660in., ther. 64°. — I deem myself 

 the most fortunate of travellers to have heard the sounds of 

 running water in such a country as this. At daylight' this morning 

 water could be heard running from the hills and gorges, discharg- 

 ing streams of beautiful clear water into the thirsty sands. The 

 only reading that I have is Mr. Gosse's diary, and if it rains much 

 longer I shall know it off by heart. Steady rain fell uninter- 

 ruptedly the whole day ; the camp could not have been pitched in 

 a better place for such an occasion ; upon the lee side of a high 

 sandhill, abundance of firewood ten yards in front, and running 

 water in every direction. 



Monday, May 6th. — Bar. 27"600in., ther. 57°. — Raining all last 

 night, and a close prisoner in the tent all this day from the same 

 cause ; the rain was driven before a gale of wind from the N.tC. 

 last night, which made it intensely cold ; fire beaten out by rain. 



Tuesday, May 1th. — Bar. 27'600in., ther. 64°. — The rain could 

 not have been so heavy and incessant last night, for at dawn this 

 morning, though it was still raining, there were a few live embers 

 in the fire heap ; these were soon worked into a brisk fire. The 

 rain ceased at 7 a. m., but then came a fog or mist, so densa that 

 nothing could be seen till 10. At noon I went out with the camels 

 for a short journey round the foot of the hills, half a mile from the 

 camp ; came to a strong stream of water in a mulga channel ; 

 followed it down one and a half miles, when it was quite lost in 

 the sandhills. I thought it strange, that after all this rain, the 

 ground was nowhere m the least soft, showing, I imagine, that 

 there must be a considerable depth of sand. Keeping along the 

 foot of the range in a N.W. direction I ascended a hill, hoping to 

 get a view to the south-west ; but higher hills lay in that direc- 

 tion, which time would not allow me to visit; returned to camp by 

 a slightly different road at 6 p.m. 



Wednesday, May 8th. — Bar. 27-622in., ther. 59°. — Started away 

 from the camp, where I have so unexpectedly been kept a prisoner 

 for four days and five nights by incessant rain ; took up a bearing 

 of N. 76° E. I am not very sure that this bearing was adhered 

 to, for Billy mounted upon a very fast camel went ahead, and as 

 both knew exactly where they were going, I was more than em- 

 ployed in keeping up to them. Arrived at Glen Edith at 2-30. 

 Up till eleven o'clock we had been travelling in a dense fog, but 



