84 
DIMINUTION OF WATER. 
be of volcanic origin, but nowhere did I observe the 
appearance of anything like a crater. In the lower or 
front hills the rock was argillaceous, of a hard slaty 
nature, and inclined at an angle of about 45° from 
the horizontal. This formation was frequently 
traversed by dykes of grey limestone of a very hard 
texture. 
Upon watering the horses at the hole in the rock, 
I was much disappointed to find that they had already 
sunk it eighteen inches, and now began to fear that 
it would not last them so long as I had anticipated, 
and that I should still be obliged to cross over the 
hills to the very rocky channel where I had found 
permanent water on the 15th of July. This I was 
desirous, if possible, to avoid, both from the difficult 
nature of the road by which that water must be 
reached, and from the circumstance that it was going 
so much out of our way into an all but impracti- 
cable country, and that consequently, when we did 
move on again to the north, we should be obliged 
to come all the way back again over the same bad 
road to gain the open country under Flinders range, 
where alone we could hope to make any progress 
with the drays. 
July 31. — Having remained all day in camp to 
rest the party, I found that the horses had again made 
a great diminution in the depth of -the water in the 
rock, I therefore had the drays all prepared in the 
evening, intending to move away to the other water- 
course in the morning ; but the next day the horses 
