THE
NORTH--INTERVIEW WITH NATIVES--ARRIVE AT THE FARTHEST WATER--THE PARTY
SEPARATES--PROGRESS NORTHWARDS--CONTINUE TO ADVANCE--SUFFERINGS OF THE
HORSE--CROSS THE 28TH PARALLEL--REJOIN MR. STUART--JOURNEY TO THE
WESTWARD--CHARACTER OF THE COUNTRY--FIND TWO PONDS OF WATER--THE GRASSY
PARK--RETURN TO THE RANG--EXCESSIVE HEAT--A SINGULAR GEOLOGICAL
FEATURE--REGAIN THE DEPOT.

As the reader will have learnt from what I have stated at the conclusion
of the last chapter, we pitched our tents at the place to which I have
led him, and which I shall henceforth call the "Depot," on the 27th of
January, 1845. They were not struck again until the 17th of July
following.

This ruinous detention paralyzed the efforts and enervated the strength
of the expedition, by constitutionally affecting both the men and
animals, and depriving them of the elasticity and energy with which they
commenced their labours. It was not however until after we had run down
every creek in our neighbourhood, and had traversed the country in every
direction, that the truth flashed across my mind, and it became evident
to me, that we were locked up in the desolate and heated region, into
which we had penetrated, as effectually as if we had wintered at the
Pole. It was long indeed ere I could bring myself to believe that so
great a misfortune had overtaken us, but so it was. Providence had, in
its allwise purposes, guided us to the only spot, in that wide-spread
desert, where our wants could have been permanently supplied, but had
there stayed our further progress into a region that almost appears to be
forbidden ground. The immediate effect, however, of our arrival at the
Depot, was to relieve my mind from anxiety as to the safety of the party.
There was now no fear of our encountering difficulties, and perhaps
perishing from the want of that life-sustaining element, without which
our efforts would have been unavailing, for independently of the
beautiful sheet of water, on the banks of which the camp was established,
there was a small lagoon to the S.E. of us, and around it there was a
good deal of feed, besides numerous water-holes in the rocky gully. The
creek was marked by a line of gum-trees, from the mouth of the glen to
its junction with the main branch, in which, excepting in isolated spots,
water was no longer to be found. The Red Hill (afterwards called Mount
Poole), bore N.N.W. from us, distant 3 1/2 miles; between us and it there
were undulatin