on of
dividing the party here, and moved the whole forward at an early hour,
being desirous to push the carts as near the hills as possible before the
plains became too soft; and with this view I deferred my intended visit
to the plundered camp until after the termination of another day's
journey. The soil, as from experience we had reason to expect, had become
very soft, and the rain pouring in torrents it became so more and more.
The wheels however did go round, and the party followed me over a plain
which scarcely supported even a tuft of grass on which I could fix my eye
in steering by compass through the heavy rain. At length I distinguished
half a dozen trees, towards which we toiled for several hours, and which
grew, as we found when we at length got to them, beside a pond of water;
the only one to be seen on these plains. There was also some grass beside
it, and we encamped on its bank, placing the carts in a line at
rightangles to the trees, thus taking possession of all the cover from an
attack that could be found. We had travelled eight miles over the open
plain in a straight line, and considering the state of the earth I was
surprised that the cattle had made any progress through it. When the
clouds drew up a little I was not sorry to discover that the plain was
clear of wood to a considerable distance on all sides, nor to recognise
some of the hills overlooking our old route.

COUNTRY IMPASSABLE FOR SEVERAL DAYS.

According to the bearings of several of these I found that the plundered
camp was only seventeen miles distant; and as the ground was so soft that
we could not move farther with the carts until fair weather had again
rendered it passable, I resolved to halt the party here until after my
intended excursion to Bombelli's Ponds.

February 15.

The rain continued but not without some intermission. At one time the
wind came from the north, and in the evening the moon made her appearance
amid fleecy clouds, which raised our hopes.

February 16.

The rain poured down from a sky that might have alarmed Noah. The ground
became a sea of mud; even within our tents we sank to the knees, no one
could move about with shoes--the men accordingly waded bare-footed. The
water in the pond was also converted into mud. Ground-crickets of an
undescribed species--which perhaps may be called Gryllotalpa
australis--came out of the earth in great numbers.

At three P.M. the blue sky appeared in the west, and the ni