19th September.
At 8.15 a.m. steered a nearly north course, through a country of the same
description as yesterday; crossed several small gullies trending west, in
some of which a little water still remained; at 4.20 p.m. halted for the
night at a brackish pool in a small gully trending west.
20th September.
Started at 8.0 a.m., continuing a northerly course, over a similar
description of country as during the past two days, crossing three large
gullies coming from the eastward, but apparently near their source. At
3.45 halted on a large stream-bed, with a few brackish or rather salt
pools in its sandy channel, which was in some places nearly 100 yards
wide; from our encampment we observed a very remarkable peaked hill,
distant about twenty miles, and from its outline conjectured it to be
composed of the same vein of trap-rock as that which forms similar ranges
further to the eastward.
21st September.
The scarcity of water and the very level appearance of the country to the
northward of our bivouac, added to the general denseness of the thicket
of acacia and cypress, rendering a continuance of a north course
unadvisable, we steered north-west from 8.30 a.m. till noon, when we
ascended a scrubby sand ridge, from which we had an extensive view;
neither hill nor valley could be discovered to the north, east, or
west--nothing but one immense sea of dense thicket of acacia and cypress
was visible in these directions; the course was therefore changed to
west, and continuing it without much alteration over a succession of low
ridges of drifted sand, the valleys being filled with dense thickets,
until 6.20 p.m., when the approach of night compelled us to bivouac in a
small patch of gum forest, which also afforded a few scattered tufts of
grass for our horses. Although this was the lowest spot passed in a
distance of more than ten miles, it was so completely dried up and
parched that a search for water was fruitless, even by digging; the
scanty allowance of very brackish water in our kegs was therefore much
relished by the party.
22nd September.
The night having been cloudy, and a strong breeze preventing any dew, our
horses were not much refreshed; we, however, started at 7.45 a.m., and
steering nearly west till 3.15 p.m. through a succession of dense
thickets, high scrubs, and thorny bushes, we entered open sandy downs,
and changed the course to south-west, with the intention of making the
Hutt River, should we not find any water nearer, when, almost hopeless of
procuring this essential element before the next day, we unexpectedly
came to a native well in the centre of the sandy plain; here we
bivouacked at 5.40, but, from the loose sandy soil in which the well was
dug, we could not obtain more than about two and a half gallons of water
for each horse, the sides of the well continually falling in. Strong
breeze from the north-west, and several light showers in the evening and
night.
23rd September.
Having completed watering the horses, we left the well at 9.30 a.m., and
steering about north-west over undulating sandy downs, covered with
coarse scrub and patches of dense thickets, at 2.15 p.m. entered a small
gully trending north-west. The country improved, but was so thickly
clothed with wattles as to render travelling difficult; a few patches of
grass were seen in some small watercourses, in which a little water
remained. At 4.40 bivouacked on a large gully trending northwards, with
several small pools of water in a rocky bed of gneiss, containing
numerous small garnets. Strong breeze from the north-west and slight
showers.
24th September (Sunday).
Although the feed for the horses was not very abundant, yet the long
marches they had encountered the last few days made it expedient to give
them a day's rest to recruit their weary limbs. Read prayers. Strong
breeze from the north-west and slight showers during the day.