148 
DENSE SCRUBS. 
of which were very near us. Judging from these 
facts, the natives appeared to be numerous in this 
part of the country, and it would be necessary to be 
very cautious and vigilant after the instance I had 
recently met with of their cunning and daring. 
September 24. — I still kept my party in camp 
to refresh the horses, and occupied myself during 
the morning in preparing a sketch of my route to 
the north, to send to the Governor from Port Lin- 
coln. In the afternoon, I searched for a line of 
road for our drays to pass, on the following day, 
through the scrubby and sandy country, which still 
appeared to continue in every direction. 
September 25. — Leaving Refuge Rocks, at a course 
of S. 37° W., we passed over a wretched country, 
consisting principally of heavy sandy ridges, very 
densely covered with scrub, and giving our horses 
a severe and fagging day’s work to get the dray along 
for only twelve miles. I then halted, as we were 
fortunate enough to find an opening in the scrub, 
with good grass. Searching about our encamp- 
ment, I found in a small valley at one end of the 
little plain, a round hole, dug by the natives, to 
catch the drainage from the slope above it. There 
were two or three quarts of water in this hole when 
we discovered it ; but by enlarging it, we managed 
to fill a bucket once every hour from the w 7 ater 
which drained into it. This enabled us to save, to 
some extent, the water we had in our casks, at the 
same time that all the horses had as much as they 
