354 Captain Sturt’s Expedition into the 
us. We were here 66 miles from Cawndilla, and hitherto every¬ 
thing had favored our retreat, but both men and animals now 
began to feel the effects of constant travelling and want of rest. 
We left the pass on the 19th at 8 a.m., and proceeding down the 
creek stopped for two hours at Cannapaga; but the water at that 
place was all gone. Stopping for an hour at dusk on the sand-hill 
near the creek, to enable the men to take some refreshments, we 
travelled all night by the light of a signal lamp, carried by one of 
the men in front of the drays. At break of day we were within 
eighteen miles of Cawndilla, but the bullocks were completely 
worn out, and progressed slowly. We were keeping our old 
tracks, when we were suddenly stopped by a barrier across it, and 
were attracted by the sight of a piece of paper nailed to a tree. 
This was to inform us of the presence of Mr. Piesse on the Darling, 
with a party for our relief. He stated that he had made several 
attempts to obtain intelligence of us, but had failed. Further on, 
he added, we should find letters, and a cask of water, which he 
had sunk in the ground, under an impression that even so small a 
supply would be of use. to us, since the natives he had, with diffi¬ 
culty, induced to go in search of us, (he himself having received 
the most positive orders on no account to go beyond Cawndilla), 
had returned to him almost dead from the want of water. But 
those tidings, which repaid us for past toil and danger, were that 
our families and friends were well. We reached our old encamp¬ 
ment on the Williorara at 10 a.m., but that channel was dry, if I 
except a small stinking puddle, the only one that remained. Into 
this the cattle dashed with frantic vehemence, when they came up 
a few hours after my arrival; but we were still six or seven miles 
from the place at which Mr. Piesse was encamped, nor could 1 
venture to move until the following morning, when the two parties 
joined. I should be doing an injustice to Mr. Piesse if I did not 
express the sense I entertained of his manifest anxiety for our 
safety, and his prudent measures to ensure it. It is impossible, 
indeed, that any man could have been more prudent or more 
anxious in the exercise of the trust reposed in him. 
We were fourteen days making this retreat, seven of which we 
travelled day and night. Unable myself to take an active part in 
