MOVE ON WITH THE SHEEP. 
319 
These pests were in great numbers, and proved a 
sad annoyance, lighting upon us in every direc- 
tion, and inflicting very irritating wounds even 
through clothes of considerable thickness. 
February 28. — As we had a long distance to 
travel to the next water, and the sheep could not 
keep pace with the horses, I left the overseer and 
two natives to bring the latter after us, whilst I 
and the younger boy set off w r ith the sheep. At 
fifteen miles, we passed the place where the nine- 
gallon keg of water had been buried on the 5th 
January. Upon digging it up, and taking out the 
bung, the water appeared discoloured and offensive 
in smell. It was still clear, however, and the sheep 
drank hastily of it, and we did the same ourselves, 
but the horses would not touch it. Leaving the 
cask out in the air with the bung out that it might 
sweeten a little against the overseer came up, we 
went on with the sheep to the undulating plains, 
arriving there between ten and eleven at night. 
After hobbling the horses, and making a brush-yard 
for the sheep, we laid down, tired with the labours 
of the day. 
March 1. — Travelling through the plains for a 
mile, we came to our former encampment, where we 
had left some stores, and a large cask of water ; the 
latter had dried up to about two quarts, and was 
very horrible, both in smell and flavour ; but still we 
were glad to take it, for, calculating upon finding 
an abundance in this cask, we had imprudently 
