120 
CONCLUDING REMARKS. 
of their rations, and the latter on account of the probable diffi- 
culty I should have in procuring water — taking on with me 
only Mr. Henderson and Mr. Hawker on foot, with the light cart 
and one policeman. The second evening I made the most northern 
of these hills, but could not find a drop of water in any of them; 
and having unluckily lost the policeman, who had crossed in 
front of the dray and got entangled in the dense scrub, I was 
detained three days riding upon his tracks, until I had traced 
them to our dray tracks from the depot at the Black Bock Hill, 
which he reached in safety, after being out five days without food. 
The cart, in the mean time, had been obliged to leave the spot 
where I left it, for want of water — having been out six days with- 
out obtaining any but what we carried in the kegs ; and when I 
overtook it, we had not sufficient provisions for another attempt, 
the period of one month, for which they were intended to last, 
having already nearly expired. 
“ I very much regret not having been able to reach, at all events, 
within sight of Mount Lyell ; but where I turned I could plainly 
see the whole country within fifty or sixty miles of the bound- 
aries of the province, and can speak with almost as much confi- 
dence of its absolute sterility as if I had actually ridden over it. 
It would certainly be possible in the wet season to take a small 
party from Prewitt’s Springs across to this hill of Sir Thomas 
Mitchell (distant about one hundred and sixty miles), by carrying 
on water for eight or ten days ; but no further supply might be 
found short of the Darling (eighty miles beyond Mount Lyell), 
on which river it would be madness to attempt anything without 
a considerable force, on account of the natives ; and the same 
point might be reached in nearly as short a time, and with much 
more certainty, with any number of men that might be considered 
necessary, by ascending the Murray as high as the Laidley Ponds, 
and proceeding north from thence. 
“ On returning to the depot, I moved the party down to 
Mount Bryan, and made another attempt on the 25th August, 
with Mr. Henderson, and one man leading a pack-horse, to the 
north-east, hoping, from the heavy rains which had fallen during 
