March 17. - Mr. Gilbert and Brown went forward in search of water,
supposing that they would find it at a convenient distance, but were
unsuccessful, and, as they had taken neither guns nor provisions, they
were obliged to return. Keeping, however, a little more to the left, on
their return, they came to two fine water-holes at the foot of some
ironstone ridges, where they passed the night, and reached the camp the
following day, having had nothing to eat for twenty-four hours. The camp
was then moved to these water-holes, about nine miles off, in a due west
course. Fine water-holes were passed at a short half-mile from our camp;
and, after crossing the northern anabranch of the river, we again found
water.
The detection of isolated water-holes in a wooded country, where there is
nothing visible to indicate its presence, is quite a matter of chance. We
have often unconsciously passed well-filled water-holes, at less than a
hundred yards distant, whilst we were suffering severely from thirst. Our
horses and bullocks never showed that instinctive faculty of detecting
water, so often mentioned by other travellers; and I remember instances,
in which the bullocks have remained the whole night, not fifty yards from
water-holes, without finding them; and, indeed, whenever we came to small
water-holes, we had to drive the cattle down to them, or they would have
strayed off to find water elsewhere.
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