28 
MOVE ALONG THE BEACH. 
At midnight we arose and moved onwards, fol- 
lowing along the beach. I intended to have made a 
long stage, as I no longer had any fears about not 
finding water ; but at nine miles one of the horses 
knocked up, and could proceed no farther, I 
was compelled, therefore, to turn in among the 
sand-drifts, and halt at five in the morning of the 
7th. We were again fortunate in procuring water 
by digging only two feet under the sand-hills, which 
were here very high, and were a continuation of 
those in which we had first found water on the 
3rd. In the afternoon, I again tried to advance 
upon our journey, but after proceeding only four 
miles, the jaded horse was again unable to move 
further, and there was no alternative but to halt 
and search for water. This was found among the 
sand-hills, but we could procure nothing but the coarse 
grass growing upon the drifts for the animals to eat. 
May 8. — About two hours before daylight, rain 
began to fall, and continued steadily though lightly 
for three hours, so that enough had fallen to deposit 
water in the ledges or holes of the rocks. The day 
was wild and stormy, and we did not start until late. 
Even then we could only get the tired horse along 
for three miles, and were again compelled to halt. 
Water was still procured, by digging under the 
sand-hills, but we had to sink much deeper than we 
had lately found occasion to do. It was now plain, 
that the tired horse would never be able to keep pace 
with the others, and that we must either abandon 
