Interior of New Holland. 
269 
it we came upon a native well, that at once destroyed my hopes. 
It was of great dimensions and depth, and paths leading to it 
from every point of the compass, shewed how valuable a treasure 
it was. The woods rang with the cry of birds that sought its 
dark recess for the life sustaining element it contained : and whose 
notes were strange to us, who had been traversing deserts as silent 
as the grave. There was, however, but little water in the well, 
and it was slightly brackish. Here we slept; and in the morning, 
after draining up all the water, just sufficient for the two weakest 
horses, we proceeded on our journey, passing a village of 19 huts 
of unusual construction. Several had three compartments—a 
main one, and two others opening into it from the back; but 
these huts had not been occupied for several months, and it was 
evident that the natives only resorted to them and the well, when 
they collected the gum tree seeds in the forest. From this point 
we traversed an earthy plain, so rent by solar heat, so full of deep 
holes and yawning chasms, that it was with difficulty we crossed 
it. Some of the fissures were from 8 to 10 feet deep, and the earth 
fell into them with a rumbling sound. At the farther extremity of 
this plain, which was seven miles in width, we came upon a creek, 
in which, after much search, we found a shallow pool of water, 
and halted at it. Here several of the horses were taken ill, and 
I lost one, Rodney. 
From this point we traversed plains little better than the one 1 
have just described, until we again got amongst sandy dunes, 
and suffered so severely from the want of water, that I feared we 
should have to bear back. Anxious, however, to push on, I 
turned to the north, running for more than fifty miles along a high 
sandy ridge, that was continuous the whole way. In that distance 
we found the muddy remains of two ponds, by which we were 
enabled to get on ; and at 50 miles we struck a creek, which re¬ 
vived hope and kindled joy in all our hearts. We came on this 
beautiful creek in lat. 25° 43', and long. 138° 44', and ran it up 
with uninterrupted success to lat. 25°9T5', and long. 138°6'10". 
The lower part of it was broad, and its bed was full of grass, 
between large but not deep pools, or rather sheets of water; but 
as we approached its sources these fine appearances diminished, 
