Journals Of Expeditions Of Discovery Into Central Australia And Overland From Adelaide To King George's Sound In The Years 1840-1: Sent By The Colonists Of South Australia By Eyre, Edward John
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I Had, Therefore,
No Reason To Doubt The Accuracy Of Their Statements When They Informed Me
That There Was None Inland!
Many different natives, and at considerable
intervals of country apart, had all united in the same statement, and as
far as I had yet been able to examine so arid a country personally, my
own observations tended to confirm the truth of what they had told me.
In the evening several of the natives went down with the men to water the
horses, and when there drank a quantity of water that was absolutely
incredible, each man taking from three to four quarts, and this in
addition to what they got at the camp during the earlier part of the day.
Strange that a people who appear to do with so little water, when
traversing the deserts, should use it in such excess when the opportunity
of indulgence occurs to them, yet such have I frequently observed to be
the case, and especially on those occasions where they have least food.
It would seem that, accustomed generally to have the stomach distended
after meals, they endeavour to produce this effect with water, when
deprived of the opportunity of doing so with more solid substances. At
night the natives all encamped with us in the plain.
January 2. - Having watered the horses early, we left the encampment,
accompanied by some of the natives, to push once more to the north-west.
On the dray we had eighty-five gallons of water; but as we had left all
our flour, and some other articles, I hoped we should get on well.
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