•264 
Captain Sturt's Expedition into the 
it would be necessary to be very careful with them. No rain had 
fallen since the 16th July, and all the surface-water on which we 
had subsisted on our recent journey was gone. We travelled 
eighty-six miles over sandy ridges and flats, such as I have 
already described, before we struck a creek with a fine sheet of 
water in it, and such as I could not have dreamt of finding in so 
level a country. We had only passed two shallow pools of water 
in the above distance, at both of which I deemed it prudent to 
dig pits, to accumulate the water and prevent its speedier 
evaporation over an extended surface. It was not always that 
these wells proved serviceable; but once, if not oftener, they 
saved the party, I will not say from perishing, but from great 
suffering. The creek we had now discovered was of great 
promise ; the sheet of water in it was so broad that the wild fowl 
sat uncoucerned at our presence upon it, and it was 150 or 200 
yards in length. I had determined on a course of 340 Q , a course 
that would gradually have taken me to the 'centre of the con¬ 
tinent and was that which appeared to me to be the best on 
which I could carry out the objects of the expedition. The 
creek we had struck evidently came from the north. There were 
two huts on its banks, and the claws of crayfish near them. 
Anxious to examine it more closely, 1 halted under some gum 
trees, where there was some good feed for the horses, and 
detached Mr. Browne with Flood, directing the former to trace 
the creek upwards, and to ascertain if it supported its appearance. 
This he did ; but as, on his return, he informed me that at seven 
miles he lost its channel on a large plain, and its character seemed 
doubtful, I did not turn from my course to follow it further, but, 
crossing its bed on the following morning, traversed extensive 
plains, bounded by sand-hills, and subject to inundation. As 
Mr. Browne had found the country to the north very low and 
open, so we now found it to the westward. We now struck four 
creeks successively, all having water and grass in their beds, 
though the former was thick and muddy. All these creeks came 
from the N.E., but we invariably lost them, after a short course, 
on some extensive plain. But the fact of creeks of great size, 
such as these, existing in a country so unlikely to give birth to 
