The WATERWITCH Had Arrived On The 29th Of October, But The Master Did Not Communicate With My Party Before The 31st; So That Until The Last Three Days They Had Been Quite Ignorant Of Our Movements, And Uneasy At Our So Greatly Exceeding The Time Originally Fixed For Rejoining Them.

Having sent back a man, and two fresh and strong horses to assist the dray, I reconnoitred once more our depot of 1839.

Situated in the middle of some extensive grassy openings among the scrub, is a solid sheet of limestone of a very hard texture: in the centre of this rock is a small oblong opening, a foot deep and only just large enough to admit of a pint pot being dipped in it. This curious little hole contained water from five to seven inches in depth, the level of which was maintained as rapidly as a person could bale it out; this was our sole supply for ourselves and horses, but it was a never-failing one.

[Note 20: The water had not a pleasant flavour, as it was of a chalybeate nature; but in a country where water was scarce, it was invaluable. When I was here in 1839, it had even then this disagreeable taste, but now it was much worse, in consequence, probably, of the contaminating substance being washed off more abundantly than formerly from the rocks enclosing the reservoir by the rapid flow of water necessary to replace the large consumption of my party.]

The spring is situated in latitude 32 degrees 49 minutes 0 seconds S. and about three miles south-east from the most southerly bight of Streaky Bay.

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