252 
Captain Sturt's Expedition into the 
was, that we were all three attacked, Mr. Poole being worse than 
either myself or Mr. Browne. I had been dissatisfied with the 
result of my recent journey to the north with Mr. Browne, and 
was anxious to ascertain more distinctly the character of the in¬ 
terior beyond the parallel of 28°. To satisfy myself on this head 
and to search the country over for water to the N.W., I left the 
camp on the morning of the 8th, with Mr. Stuart, Flood, and 
Joseph. My object was to gain the most distant water in the 
little creek beyond the hills, the second from which we had driven 
the native, and from it to take the light cart with as much water 
as one horse could draw. I hoped, although it was doubtful, that 
I should still find water in that shallow basin, and I proposed 
leaving Mr. Stuart to trace in the hills more fully, and Flood to 
look after the horses during my absence. Arrived at the point, I 
found that there was water, but it was all but gone. Muddy, and 
smelling most offensively, as well as having a mucous taste, from 
the destruction of animalculee in it. However, we had no choice 
to make, no time to hesitate, as the water, bad as it was, would 
not hold out many days longer. We filled our casks, and a 
small box I had brought for the purpose; and I hoped, that with 
proper management we should gain lat. 27° 30', if not a higher 
point to the north, which course I took up, thus leaving the 
little hills Mr. Browne and I had ascended considerably to our 
left. I had only Joseph with me, but in order to spin out 
our supply of water as long as possible, we were obliged to limit 
ourselves as well as the horse, to which we gave six gallons a-day. 
But in three days he gave indications of suffering, and it was 
evident that he would not do much with so little. The intense 
heat of the sun, and the strain of pulling over the ridges of sand 
we were obliged to cross, eutirely overpowered him, and I saw 
with regret, before we had gained the parallel of 28 a that we 
should not get much further ; we were under such circumstances 
in lat. 28° 8'. The country there had become one of pure sand. 
There were no flats between ridges, but a succession of hollows, 
although the line of the ridges was distinct. Grass was but 
scanty, but the ground was otherwise matted over with spiuife.v, 
the sharp points of which were equally distressing to ourselves 
