from South to Western Australia . 
155 
could procure abundance of water, but tliere was scarcely any 
grass for our poor horses, and the little they could find was 
coarse, sapless, and withered. To add to our difficulties, we 
were almost without provisions. In the early part of* this 
journey, we were obliged to abandon the heavy part of our 
baggage. Water-kegs, ropes, buckets, horse-shoes, tools, 
medicines, pack-saddles, clothes, great coats, and part of the 
ammunition, were all left behind. As we advanced and our 
horses became weaker, it was necessary to leave even the pro¬ 
visions, instruments, and the remainder of our ammunition 
(light though they were); while we hurried on with the wretched 
animals, scarcely daring to hope that it might yet be possible 
to save their lives. Having arrived at the water, and rested 
there during six days, I sent my overseer and one of the native 
boys (with the three strongest of the horses driven loose) to 
try to recover the things we had last left, and which were 
about fifty miles from the water: those abandoned earlier on the 
journey, were too far distant for us to attempt their recovery. 
On the fifth day they returned, after a most painful journey ; 
one of the horses had perished, the other two were almost dead, 
and the party had only succeeded in bringing a portion of the 
baggage they were sent for. As there were many things 
among those they had not brought which we could "ill afford 
to spare, I left the overseer in charge of the party, and the day 
following his return I proceeded myself, accompanied by one 
of the elder boys, but without horses, to make a second attempt 
for their recovery : this I effected, and on the fourth day re¬ 
joined my party at the water. Our horses were now reduced 
in number to five, and the whole were so thoroughly jaded 
and worn out, that it was evident we could never attempt to 
move from our present position for some time to come,, 
especially as we had the gloomy prospect of a vast extent of 
country "before us, in which there was not the least hope of 
water being found. In the mean time our provisions were 
rapidly disappearing. From the very commencement of the 
journey our weekly allowance had been very limited—gra¬ 
dually it had been further reduced—and now that a long delay 
was unavoidable, I found it necessary to kill one of the horses, 
to enable us to husband the little flour we had remaining. 
Hitherto my labours had been comparatively light; for, in 
the midst of all the cares and anxieties by which I was sur¬ 
rounded, my overseer had placed the most implicit confidence 
in my guidance, and had cheerfully gone through the duties 
that fell to his share. This support I no longer experienced ; 
and it was with the greatest pain I discovered that my fellow 
traveler had become disheartened and dispirited, foreboding 
evils that might not occur, and though lie still exerted himself 
readily and strenuously on every occasion, I could readily 
perceive that (although the greatest difficulties of the under- 
