Providence had, in its allwise purposes, guided us to the only spot, in that wide-spread desert, where our wants could have been permanently supplied, but had there stayed our further progress into a region that almost appears to be forbidden ground.

The immediate effect, however, of our arrival at the Depot, was to relieve my mind from anxiety as to the safety of the party.
There was now no fear of our encountering difficulties, and perhaps perishing from the want of that life-sustaining element, without which our efforts would have been unavailing, for independently of the beautiful sheet of water, on the banks of which the camp was established, there was a small lagoon to the S.E.of us, and around it there was a good deal of feed, besides numerous water-holes in the rocky gully.

The creek was marked by a line of gum-trees, from the mouth of the glen to its junction with the main branch, in which, excepting in isolated spots, water was no longer to be found.

The Red Hill (afterwards called Mount Poole), bore N.N.W.from us, distant 3 1/2 miles; between us and it there were undulating plains, covered with stones or salsolaceous herbage, excepting in the hollows, wherein there was a little grass.

Behind us were level stony plains, with small sandy undulations, bounded by brush, over which the Black Hill, bearing S.S.E.from the Red Hill, was visible, distant 10 miles.