At sunset their fires were
seen about two miles to the south-west.
May 27. - At day-light, despatched the other two men and horses to the
assistance of the rest, who remained out all night.
A native was seen about half a mile from our fires: the dogs attacked
him, and when called off, he ran away shouting most lustily; he was a
very stout man, at least six feet high, entirely naked, with a long
bushy beard: he had no arms of any kind. At two o'clock, two of the men
who had been out all night returned, after an unsuccessful search,
leaving three more out to pursue it in every possible direction. Water
is evidently the reason of their straying, as several patches of burnt
grass have been passed by them, and they would naturally return to the
place where they last found it, if they could find none nearer.
At sunset the men returned with nine of the horses, five being still
missing: they were found ten miles on the road back, and near the place
where they fed on the 24th.
May 28. - At daylight despatched four men on horseback to resume the
search for the missing horses, taking with them two days' provisions.
May 29. - At four o'clock in the afternoon the men returned, still
unsuccessful.
May 30. - At seven o'clock I proceeded to the north-east with two men,
whilst Mr. Evans went to the north-west. At ten I was fortunate enough to
fall in with the horses about eight miles from our camp; returned with
them, and prepared every thing for setting forward to-morrow morning. In
one of the brushes an emu's nest was found, containing ten eggs; our
dogs also killed two small birds. Mr. Evans returned about three
o'clock, having seen nothing remarkable: the country was very thick and
brushy, and he was much impeded by creeping vines.
Mr. Cunningham here planted the seeds of quinces, and the stones of
peach and apricot trees.
May 31. - Fine weather as usual, and at nine o'clock we set off with
renewed hopes and spirits. Our first nine miles afforded excellent
travelling through an open country of very indifferent soil. The trees
thin and chiefly cypress, with occasionally a large sterculia, but no
water whatever: at the ninth mile we entered a very thick eucalyptus
brush, overrun with creepers and prickly acacia bushes. We continued
forcing our way through this desert until sunset, when, finding no hopes
of getting through it before dark, we halted in the midst of it, having
travelled in the whole nearly twenty miles, and for the last mile been
obliged to cut our way with our tomahawks.
Both men and horses were quite knocked up, and our embarrassment was
heightened by the want of water for ourselves and them, as this desert
did not hold out the slightest hope of finding any.
