the horses, who appeared very dissatisfied with their entertainment, for
they wandered away, and several hours were spent on the following morning
in getting them together.

Our route lay by way of Kolonaday, North Spring, Tinderlong, and Bilyera
to Yuin, Mr. Burges's principal station, which we reached on the 9th, and
remained until Monday the 13th. Then we started on a route
east-north-east, and camped that night at a rock water-hole called
Beetinggnow, where we found good feed and water. My brother and Kennedy
went on in advance to Poondarrie, to dig water-holes, and we rejoined
them there on the 14th. This place is situated in latitude 27 degrees 48
minutes 39 seconds South, and longitude 116 degrees 16 minutes 11 seconds
East.

On the following day we were very busy packing up the rations, for I had
arranged to send back the cart, gone on in advance. We had eight months'
provisions, besides general baggage, and I certainly experienced some
difficulty in arranging how to carry such a tremendously heavy load, even
with the aid of eighteen pack-horses, and a dozen natives who accompanied
us. I intended to start on the 16th, but one of the horses was missing,
and, although Pierre and I tracked him for five miles, we were compelled
to give up the search for that night, as darkness came on, and return to
camp. On the following day, however, we followed up the tracks, and
caught the horse after a chase of twenty miles. He had started on the
return journey, and was only a mile from Yuin when we overtook him.

CAMELS AND HORSES IN THE DESERT.

By half-past nine on the morning of the 18th we had made a fair start.
The day was intensely hot, and as we had only three riding-horses, half
of the party were compelled to walk. We travelled in a north-easterly
direction for eleven miles, and reached a spring called Wallala, which we
dug out, and so obtained sufficient water for our horses. I may mention
here that Colonel Warburton and other explorers who endeavoured to cross
the great inland desert from the east had the advantage of being provided
with camels--a very great advantage indeed in a country where the water
supply is so scanty and uncertain as in Central Australia. As we
ascertained by painful experience, a horse requires water at least once
in twelve hours, and suffers greatly if that period of abstinence is
exceeded. A camel, however, will go for ten or twelve days without drink,
without being much distressed. Thi