CONTINUE THE JOURNEY. 
345 
for ourselves, but the horses looked weary and weak, 
although they had only travelled fourteen miles that 
day. After they had rested a few hours I broke up 
the encampment, and travelling for fourteen miles 
further over a scrubby country, came to a patch of 
grass, at which we halted early. From the nature 
of the country, and the consequent embarrassment 
it entailed upon us, it was impossible for any of the 
party to have any longer even the slight advantage 
formerly enjoyed of occasionally riding for a few 
miles in turn ; all were now obliged to walk, except 
the two youngest boys, who were still permitted to 
ride at intervals. The weather was cloudy, and 
showers were passing to the north-east. 
March 26. — Upon moving on this morning we 
passed through the same wretched kind of country 
for eighteen miles, to an opening in the scrub where 
was a little grass, and at which we halted to rest. 
There was so much scrub, and the sandy ridges were 
so heavy and harassing to the horses, that I began 
to doubt almost if we should get them along at all. 
We were now seventy-two miles from the water, and 
had, in all probability, as much further to go before 
we came to any more, and I saw that unless some- 
thing was done to lighten the loads of the pack- 
animals (trifling as were the burdens they carried) 
we never could hope to get them on. Leaving the 
natives to enjoy a sleep, the overseer and I opened 
and re-sorted all our baggage, throwing away every 
thing that we could at all dispense with ; our great 
