338 PARTY ASSEMBLED AT THE WATER. 
after leaving a great part of the loads of the pack- 
horses about seventeen miles back, according to the 
written instructions 1 had left. The sheep, it seemed, 
had broken out of the yard and travelled backwards, 
and were picked up by the overseer, twelve miles 
away from where we had left them ; as they had 
got very tired and were delaying the horses, he 
left one of the natives, this morning, to follow slowly 
with them, whilst he pushed on with the pack- 
horses as rapidly as they could go. After giving him 
'the pleasing intelligence that his toil was nearly 
over for the present, and leaving some few directions, 
I pushed on again with the boy, who had not found 
the least sign of water in the valley, to meet the 
native with the sheep. In about three miles we 
saw him coming on alone without them, he said 
they were a mile further back, and so tired they 
could not travel. Halting our horses, I sent him to 
bring them on, and during his absence, had some 
tea made and dinner prepared for him. When the 
sheep came up they were in sad condition, but 
by giving them water and a few hours rest, they 
recovered sufficiently to travel on in the evening to 
the water. 
At night, the whole party were, by God’s bless- 
ing, once more together, and in safety, after having 
passed over one hundred and thirty-five miles of 
desert country, without a drop of water in its whole 
extent, and at a season of the year the most un- 
favourable for such an undertaking. In accomplish- 
