On Nearing Camp I Met
Breaden And Warri, Who Had Started To Track Me Up, For Warden's Return
With An Empty Saddle Had Caused A Little Anxiety.
I observed for latitude that night, and was pleased to find that my two
positions for the lagoon agreed almost exactly, both in latitude and
longitude - a very satisfactory result considering the distance we had
travelled.
On the 20th we started again, steering a course a little South of West,
my intention being to round the North end of Lake Wells, and cut the
Bonython Creek, with the object of seeing if another oasis, on our
suggested stock route from South Australia, could be found. It need
hardly be said that any idea of a stock route from Hall's Creek is
absolutely impracticable. Between Woodhouse Lagoon and Lake Wells the
country consists of low sand-ridges, on which grows an abundance of
acacia bushes and others suitable for camels, alternating with open
spinifex plains, mulga scrubs in which good grass grows, and nearer the
lagoon one or two small grass plains. All through cliffs and bluffs are
met with, from which small creeks ending in a grassy avenue run; and, as
Lake Wells is approached, table-topped hills and low ranges occur, and
occasional flats of salt-bush country. We had no longer any difficulty
with regard to water, the rain having left frequent puddles where any
rocky or clayey ground was crossed. In the sand no water could be seen;
indeed we had a sharp shower one morning, water was running down the
slopes of sand, but half an hour afterwards no sign of it could be seen
on the surface.
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