RECOVER THE DRAY. 
253 
late disasters ; and recover the dray and other things 
we had abandoned. We passed by the three dead 
horses on onr route, now lying stiff and cold ; in our 
situation a melancholy spectacle, and which awakened 
gloomy and cheerless anticipations for the future, 
by reminding us of the crippled state of our re- 
sources, and of the dreadful character of the inhospit- 
able region we had to penetrate. At dark we came 
to the little plain where the dray was, and found 
both it and our baggage undisturbed ; nor was it 
apparent that any natives had visited the place since 
we left it. During the evening a few slight showers 
fell, which, with a heavy dew, moistened the withered 
grass, and enabled our horses to feed tolerably well. 
December 12.— I had proceeded a day in advance 
of the men and horses coming to recover the dray, in 
order that I might satisfy myself whether there was 
water or not near the plains to the east or north-east, 
as there were some grounds for supposing that such 
might be the case, from the fact of so many natives 
having been twice seen there, and the probability that 
they had remained for five days in the neighbour- 
hood. To-day I devoted to a thorough examination 
of the country around ; and, accompanied by the boy, 
proceeded early away to the north-east, returning 
southerly, and then crossing back westerly to the 
camp. We travelled over a great extent of ground, 
consisting principally of very dense scrub, with here 
and there occasional grassy openings ; but no where 
could we observe the slightest indications of the 
