We then stopped and gave the horses 12 gallons of water each, after which we tethered them out, but they were so restless that I determined to mount them, and pushing on reached the creek at half-past 1, a.m.The animals requiring rest I remained stationary the next day, and was myself glad to keep in the shade, not that the day was particularly hot, but because I began to feel the effects of constant exposure.

Having expressed some opinion, however, that there might have been water to the north of us, in the direction whence the pelicans came, Mr.Browne volunteered to ride out, and accordingly with Flood left me about 10, but returned late in the afternoon without having found any.

He ascertained that the creek I had sent Flood to trace when Mr.Stuart went to sketch in the ranges, terminated in the barren plain we had crossed, and such, the reader will observe, is the general termination of all the creeks of these singular and depressed regions.
We returned to the camp on the 21st, and from that period to the end of the month I remained stationary, employed in various ways.

On the 24th and 29th we took different sets of lunars, which gave our longitude as before, nearly 141 degrees 29 minutes, the variation of the compass being 5 degrees 14 minutes East.
The month of April set in without any indication of a change in the weather.

It appeared as if the flood gates of Heaven were closed upon us for ever.