134 
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE. 
was placed, and spent many an anxious hour in 
deliberating as to the future. I had one of three 
alternatives to choose, either to give up the expe- 
dition altogether; — to cross to the Murray to the 
east and follow up that river to the Darling; — or by 
crossing over to Streaky Bay to the westward, to 
endeavour to find some opening leading towards the 
interior in that direction. After weighing well the 
advantages and disadvantages of each (and there were 
many objections to them all,) I determined upon 
adopting the last, for reasons which will be found in 
my Report sent to the Governor, and to the Chairman 
of the Northern Expedition Committee from Port 
Lincoln. # My mind having thus been made up, 
1 knew, from former experience, that I had no time 
to lose, now that the weather was showery and 
favourable, and that if I delayed at all in putting 
my plans into execution I might probably be unable 
to cross from Mount Arden to Streaky Bay. The 
distance between these two points was upwards of 
two hundred miles, through a barren and desert 
region, in which, though among high ranges, I had 
on a former occasion been unable to discover any 
permanent water, and through which we could only 
hope to pass by taking advantage of the puddles left 
by the late rains ; I therefore decided upon halting 
at the depot to rest the horses even for a day, and 
the party had no sooner reached their encampment, 
* Vide Chapter IX. 
