EXPLOKING EXPEDITION. 15 



spent the time more to their own advantage than yesterday. 

 Started at 8 - 35 on a general bearing of N. 66° E., but in these 

 dense scrubs and the continued turnings off to examine different 

 gorges for water it is impossible to follow an exact course, but I 

 may explain that I am following the slopes of the MacDonnell 

 Range easterly to find the gorge where this creek rises ; examined 

 many places during the day, in some water was found high up in 

 ledges of rocks quite unapproachable for camels, but which are of 

 course available for natives and birds ; continued upon this bearing 

 for five miles and then turned east for three miles ; from this point 

 I turned N. 10° W. for two miles to examine a favorable looking 

 spot, but without success. I now turned S. 60° E. for three miles 

 to get the camels off the stones ; the mulga scrubs upon this course 

 were very dense, and caused incessant delays, and hoping to free 

 myself from them, I turned S. 70° E. for one and a half miles and 

 again emerged upon the alluvial flats through which the creek 

 flows. Here we found abundance of feed for the camels near the 

 gum creek, upon which we camped. These mulga flats are inter- 

 sected by small gum creeks, and are park-like and very attractive 

 to the eye, and in a rainy season, with water everywhere, and 

 abundance of rich green herbage, which is withered and black 

 to-day, I can imagine a traveller dwelling with pleasure upon such 

 a charming spot, and almost pardon anj r vagaries of his pen in 

 describing its richness and beauty, which are, however, of a very 

 transient character. Bar. 27'580 in., ther. 72° at 5 p.m. 



Monday, April 22nd. — Camp No. 18. Bar. 27-575in., ther. at 

 dawn 39°. — The valley between the MacDonnell Range and what 

 I take to be the Gardiner Range at this point cannot exceed nine 

 or ten miles, and a few miles further west it is still less. Started 

 up the creek at 8* 15, N. 20° E., and very soon left our last night's 

 beautiful surroundings, and plunged into a region of mulga scrub 

 and stones towards the foot of the main range again. This con- 

 tinued for two miles, thence N. 25° W. two miles up a stony 

 watercourse with scrub, stones, andspinifex everywhere, N. 40° W. 

 to a gorge which was a disappointment. From here turned S. 20° 

 W. one mile to a gum creek which seemed to emerge from the 

 range at a promising place. Turned N. 10° E. to enter the glen. 

 We had no sooner done so than two emus were observed stalking 

 down the glen, this looked hopeful, for if water was accessible to 

 them it would be to us. Billy went on ahead on foot and soon 

 called out " Water ! all right !" It was 11 a.m. when we struck the 

 water, and the seventh day since the camels had any, and they 

 drank greedily. This water does not lay any claim to permanence, 

 in fact it is only a tiny pool from last December rains, the ground 

 is very stony and the hills on either side are covered with spinifex. 

 A few bean trees and gums are the only timber, the only attrac- 

 tion the place has is the little pool of beautiful water. Variation 

 of compass, 2° 27' E. Bar. 27'260in., ther. 84° at 3 p.m. 



