ace
up, we turned to the north-east for a line of gum-trees, but the channel
was scarcely perceptible under them, and we had evidently run it out.
There were only two or three solitary trees to be seen to the north, at
which point the plain was bounded by sand hills. To the S.E. there was a
short line of trees, from the midst of which the natives were throwing up
a signal smoke, but as it would have taken me out of my way to have gone
to them, I held on a N.N.W. course, and at the termination of the plain
ascended a sand hill, though of no great height. From it we descended a
small valley, the sides of which were covered with samphire bushes, and
the bottom by the dry white and shallow bed of a salt lagoon. From this
valley we passed into a plain, in which various kinds of salsolaceous
productions were growing round shallow salty basins. At a little distance
from these, however, we stumbled upon a channel with some tolerable water
in it, hid amongst rhagodia bushes, but the horses refused to drink. This
plain communicated with that we had just left, round the N.E. point of
the sand hill we had crossed but there were no box-trees on it to mark
the line of any creek or water; but the sand ridge forming its northern
boundary was very high, and contrary to their usual lay, ran directly
across our course, and as the ascent was long and gradual, so was it some
time before we got to the top. The view which then presented itself was
precisely similar to the one I have already described, and from which we
had before been obliged to retreat. Long parallel lines of sandy ridges
ran up northwards, further than we could see, and rose in the same manner
on either side. Their sides were covered with spinifex, but there was a
clear space at the bottom of the valleys, and as there was really no
choice we proceeded down one of them, for 12 miles, and then halted.

At this point the open space at the bottom of the valleys had all closed
in, and the cart, during the latter part of the journey, had gone jolting
over the tufts and circles of spinifex to the great distress of the
horse; grass and water had both failed, nor could I see the remotest
chance of any change in the character of the country. It was clear,
indeed, that until rain should fall it was perfectly impracticable; and
with such a conviction on my mind, I felt that it would only be
endangering the lives of those who were with me, if I persevered in
advancing. I therefore once m