254 RETURN TO THE SAND-HILLS. 
existence of water, although the traces of natives 
were numerous and recent ; and we tracked them for 
several miles, often seeing places where they had 
broken down the shrubs to get a grub, which is gene- 
rally found there, out of the root ; and observing the 
fragments of the long lateral roots of the gum* scrub, 
which they had dug up to get water from. And this, 
I am inclined to think, is what they depend upon 
principally in these arid regions for the little water 
they require. The general direction taken by these 
wanderers of the desert, was to the north-east. About 
four o’clock the men with the dray-horses arrived, 
bringing ten gallons of water, which we divided 
among the horses, and then took it in turn to watch 
them during the night. 
December 13. — Having buried a few things that 
I might require when I should come out here again, 
(for I determined not to give up the attempt to 
round the Great Bight,) I had all the rest of our 
luggage taken up, and the horses being harnessed, 
we returned with the dray to the water at the sand- 
hills, arriving there early in the afternoon. We had 
yoked up three strong fresh horses, that had done 
no work for some time previously ; and yet, such 
was the nature of the country, that with an almost 
empty dray, they had hardly been able to reach the 
water, at the furthest only twenty- two miles distant, 
and in accomplishing this, they had been upwards of 
ten hours in the collar. How then could we expect 
to get through such a region with drays heavily 
