excursion to d’urban’s group. 77 
alternation of wood and plain, I left Mr. Hume upon the 
hill, that he might the more readily notice any smoke made 
by the natives ; and returned myself to the camp about one 
o’clock, to move the party to the swamp. Mr. Hume’s per- 
severance was of little avail. The region he had been 
overlooking was, to all appearance, uninhabited, nor did a 
single fire indicate that there was even a solitary wanderer 
upon its surface. 
Our situation, at this time, was extremely embarrassing, 
and the only circumstance on which we had to congratulate 
ourselves was, the improved condition of our men ; for 
several of the cattle and horses were in a sad plight. The 
weather had been so extremely oppressive, that we had 
found it impossible to keep them free from eruptions. 
I proposed to Mr. Hume, therefore, to give them a few 
days rest, and to make an excursion, with such of them as 
were serviceable, to D’Urban’s Group. We were both of 
us unwilling to return to the creek, but we foresaw that a 
blind reliance upon fortune, in our next movements, might 
involve us in inextricable difficulty. 
On the other hand, there was a very great risk in delay. 
It was more than probable, from the continued drought, 
that our retreat would be cut off from the want of wrter^ 
or that we should only be enabled to effect our retreat with 
loss of most of the animals. The hope, however, of our in- 
tersecting some stream, or of falling upon a better country, 
prevailed over other considerations ; and the excursion was, 
consequently, determined upon. 
