Horses,
and frequently when they are tethered the ropes break, and occasion the
necessity of both individuals leaving the encampment to search for them
at the same time.
Moving on to the N. W. by N. we passed over heavy sandy ridges, with
barren red plains between, and in one of the latter we found a puddle of
rain water, this upon tasting. I found to be rather saline from the
nature of the soil upon which it lay, the horses, however, drank it
readily, and we put some in a small keg for ourselves. The only
vegetation to be seen consisted of a few small stunted trees and shrubs,
and even these as we approached the vicinity of the lake disappeared
altogether, and gave place to Salsolaceous plants, the country being open
and barren in the extreme.
I found Lake Torrens completely girded by a steep sandy ridge, exactly
like the sandy ridges bounding the sea shore, no rocks or stones were
visible any where, but many saline coasts peeped out in the outer ridge,
and upon descending westerly to its basin, I found the dry bed of the
lake coated completely over with a crust of salt, forming one unbroken
sheet of pure white, and glittering brilliantly in the sun. On stepping
upon this I found that it yielded to the foot, and that below the surface
the bed of the lake consisted of a soft mud, and the further we advanced
to the westward the more boggy it got, so that at last it became quite
impossible to proceed, and I was obliged to return to the outer margin of
the lake without ascertaining whether there was water on the surface of
its bed further west or not.
The extraordinary deception caused by mirage and refraction, arising from
the state of the atmosphere in these regions, makes it almost impossible
to believe the evidence of one's own eyesight; but as far as I could
judge under these circumstances, it appeared to me that there was water
in the bed of the lake at a distance of four or five miles from where I
was, and at this point Lake Torrens was about fifteen or twenty miles
across, having high land bounding it to the west, seemingly a
continuation of the table land at the head of Spencer's gulf on its
western side.
Foiled in the hope of reaching the water, I stood gazing on the dismal
prospect before me with feelings of chagrin and gloom. I can hardly say I
felt disappointed, for my expectations in this quarter had never been
sanguine; but I could not view unmoved, a scene which from its character
and extent, I well knew must exercise a great influence over my future
plans and hopes:
