4th September.
As the horses had been twenty-four hours without water, and there was no
prospect of obtaining any to the north or west, no rain having fallen for
the past month, it was deemed advisable to return to the last bivouac,
and then, by a westerly course, attempt to make the sources of the Hutt
or Arrowsmith rivers, the mouths of which had been discovered by Captain
Grey on the coast opposite our position. Accordingly, after six hours'
ride, we got back to the well at the bivouac of the 2nd.
5th September.
At 7.50 a.m. left the bivouac, and, steering 240 degrees, at 8.15 crossed
the dry watercourse trending west; at 11.0 ascended the ridge bounding
the valley; at noon found a small pool of water in a gully descending to
the westward; after this traversed a continuous thicket of acacia with
narrow strips of cypress forest, and bivouacked at 5.50 without water.
Latitude 29 degrees 47 minutes 15 seconds; longitude 116 degrees 41
minutes.
6th September.
At 6.45 a.m., proceeding west, ascended a granite hill, near the top of
which we found a native well, where we halted at 7.30. Having watered the
horses and breakfasted, at 9.30 resumed our journey over granite hills,
covered with brushwood and cypress with a few grassy patches; at 11.10
passed a native well; altered the course to west-south-west, crossing
three small watercourses trending north-west; and at 1.15 p.m. halted at
the foot of a bare granite hill, on the top of which there was a fine
pool of rainwater in a shallow basin of the rock.
Latitude 28 degrees 50 minutes 51 seconds; longitude 116 degrees 29
minutes.
7th September.
Started at 7.15 a.m. on a course 255 degrees through acacia thickets; at
10.5 crossed a narrow strip of salt marsh, which spread out into dry salt
lakes to the south; after this the country was grassy till 11.30, when we
entered a dense thicket of acacia, melaleuca, cypress, and eucalypti, the
ground gradually rising till 4.0 p.m., and then descending till 5.25,
when we crossed a small dry watercourse trending south; at 6.10
bivouacked in a gum forest without water or grass, though a large flight
of white cockatoos which roosted near seemed to indicate that water was
not far distant.
Latitude 28 degrees 58 minutes 14 seconds; longitude 116 degrees 6
minutes.
8th September.
Leaving the bivouac at 7.0 am steered west; at 7.20 came to a grassy
granite hill, then west-north-west to another hill, where we halted for
half an hour to look for water, but being unsuccessful, again resumed a
westerly course through acacia thickets, alternating with grassy gum
forest, till noon, when the soil changed from a red loam to ironstone
gravel; grass disappeared and was replaced by scrub; the country was much
broken and continued to rise till 4.0 p.m., when it began to descend
rapidly till 4.30, when we came to a small watercourse trending south;
following it down for half a mile, found a small pool of water and some
grass, and halted for the night, this being the only water seen for
nearly fifty miles.
Latitude 28 degrees 58 minutes 50 seconds; longitude 115 degrees 45
minutes.