Its
recesses, until we were either taken beyond Lake Torrens, or led to some
practicable opening to the north.
With a heavy heart I turned towards the mountains, and steering N. E. for
ten miles, halted at dark, where there was nothing for our horses to eat
or drink, and we were consequently obliged to tie them up for the night.
We had still a few oats left and gave each horse three pints. A short
time before encamping, I had observed that Lake Torrens was trending more
to the eastward, and that when we halted, it was not at any very great
distance from us.
July 9. - One of our horses having got loose last night, pulled the cork
out of the keg in which was our small stock of the dirty brackish water
we had found yesterday, and rolling the keg over, destroyed its contents;
we were thus deprived of our breakfasts, and consequently had but little
delay in starting. I intended to push on steadily for the hills, but
after travelling six miles came to a puddle in the plains, with tolerable
grass around, and at this I halted for the day, to rest the horses. Our
latitude was 31 degrees 25 minutes S. by an altitude of Arcturus, Mount
Eyre then bearing S. 7 degrees E.
