were no hills
or elevations connected with it beyond, in any of these directions, and
that the horizon every where was one low uninterrupted level.

With such data, and under such circumstances, what other opinion could I
possibly arrive at, than that the bed of Lake Torrens was nearly similar
in its character, and equally impracticable in its eastern, as its
western arm; and that, considering the difficulties I had encountered,
and the hazards I had subjected myself to, in ascertaining these points
so minutely on the western side, I could not be justified in renewing
those risks to the eastward, where the nature and extent of the
impediments were so self-evidently the same, and where there was not the
slightest hope of any useful result being attained by it.

I was now more than a hundred miles away from my party; and having sent
them orders to move back towards Mount Arden, I had no time to lose in
following them. With bitter feelings of disappointment I turned from the
dreary and cheerless scene around me, and pushing the horses on as well
as circumstances would allow, succeeded in retracing ten miles of my
course by a little after dark, having completed a stage of fully
forty-five miles during the day. Here there was tolerable good grass, and
plenty of water from the late rains, so that the horses were more
fortunate on this excursion than usual. I observed the variation to be 4
degrees E.

September 3.--Travelling early, we made a long stage of about forty
miles, and encamped with good grass and water. During the day we caught
four young emus in the plains, which we roasted for supper, being very
hungry, and upon short allowance, as I had not calculated upon remaining
out so long; the black boy enjoyed them exceedingly, and I managed to get
through one myself. They were about the size of full grown fowls.

September 4.--Making a very early start, we travelled twenty miles to the
watercourse, where we had encamped on the 31st of August, striking it a
little lower down. As I had left one or two trifles here, that I wished
to take on with me, I sent the black boy for them, telling him to follow
my tracks while I went slowly on. Upon finding that he did not overtake
me so soon as I expected, I halted for some time, but still he did not
come up, and I again proceeded; for as I had left my former track, I
concluded he had taken that line, and thus missed me. Steering,
therefore, across the hills, some of which were v