32 SLOW PROGRESS ALONG THE BEACH. 
another change in the vegetation, which still further 
convinced me that we were rapidly advancing into a 
more practicable country. 
May 10. — The morning was spent in washing my 
clothes, cooking meat, and preparing to move on in 
the afternoon. Wylie, who knew that this was his 
last opportunity, was busy with the skeleton of the 
horse, and never ceased eating until we moved on in 
the afternoon. As we took away with us nearly a 
hundred pounds of the flesh, the poor horses were 
heavily laden for the condition they were in. The 
scrubby and swampy nature of the country behind 
the shore compelled us too to keep the beach, where 
the sands were loose and heavy. Our progress was 
slow, and at eight miles I halted. Here we found a 
little dry grass not far from the sea, and as the h orses 
did not require water, they fared tolerably well. 
This was the first grass we had met with since we 
descended the cliffs on the 3rd instant. The horses 
having entirely subsisted since then on the wiry 
vegetation which binds the sand-drifts together. 
Although we had water in the canteens for ourselves, 
and the horses did not require any, I was curious to 
know whether fresh water could be procured where 
we were encamped — a long, low and narrow tongue 
of sandy land, lying between the sea on one side and 
extensive salt swamps on the other, and in no part 
elevated more than a few feet above the level of the 
sea itself. After tea I took the spade and commenced 
digging, and to my great surprise at six feet I 
