From Thence They Followed His Tracks For 15 Miles Through The Tea-Tree Levels, And Camped Without Water, After Having Travelled, Walking And Riding, Over Between 40 Or 50 Miles Of The Most Miserable And Desolate Country Imaginable, Without Finding Any Fit To Drink.

Meanwhile Alexander Jardine took another cast to find water and have a look at the coast.

He also saw the Marine Plains, and found them utterly waterless. This decided the question of the coast-line route.

'December' 11. - At daylight Mr. Jardine and Eulah again got on to Lucifer's tracks, but the ground was so hard that they had to run them on foot and lead their horses. At sun-down they hit camp 33 on the river, having made only about 20 miles in a straight line. Here they had a good drink. The water was rather brackish, but after two days travelling over a parched and arid country, almost anything would have been acceptable. They turned out and whilst trying to catch something for their suppers, they saw Lucifer standing within thirty yards of where their horses were feeding, but the moment he caught sight of them he again galloped away. Mr. Jardine immediately jumped on his horse and brought him back to Eulah's, but to no purpose, for he galloped past without taking the least notice of him, and as it was now dark they had to let him go. Alexander Jardine spent the day in searching for water, and was fortunate enough to hit on a permanent water hole, in a small creek, eight miles N.N.W. from the camp. This discovery was like a ray of sunshine promising to help them on their way. At night Sambo and Barney returned, but without the mule.

'December' 12. - Lucifer was again followed till mid-day. From the time that he had left their camp last night he had galloped for 13 miles without stopping, and when found he was quite white with sweat. It was quite evident that he was perfectly mad from the effects of the salt water, so that Mr. Jardine decided to abandon him without wasting more horse-flesh. He turned therefore to look for the other horse "Deceiver," expecting to find him in the same state. His tracks being found shortly afterwards, they followed them for some distance, when they came on to his dead carcase. The poor brute had evidently died from want of water; the Leader therefore turned homewards, hoping, but little expecting to find that the mule had been found. These losses were a heavy blow, and sadly crippled the party. Lucifer and Deceiver were the two best riding horses, and the mule the best pack animal. His own loss was aggravated by his carrying his pack with him. This carried most of the odd articles that were hitherto deemed indispensible, but which henceforth they had per force to dispense with. One pack contained all that remained of the tea, currants, and raisins, which were saved from the fire, and two pairs of boots, the only ones the Brothers had; and the other was filled with oddments, such as files, gimlets, ragstone, steel, weighing machine, awls, tomahawks, American axes, shoeing tools, and a number of things "that they could not do without," but perhaps the most important loss was that of the spade, to which they had many times been indebted for water.

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