Fortunately, however, their fears were groundless; the relief party had arrived and had been awaiting their return for about three weeks.

An attack by the natives had been made, but it had been easily repulsed.

While Sturt rested at Mount Harris, Hume struck off to the west, beyond the reeds.

He reported the country as superior for thirty miles to any they had yet seen, but beyond that limit lay brushwood and monotonous plains.
On the 7th of March the party struck camp and departed for the Castlereagh River.

They found that the flooded stream, impassable by Oxley, had totally disappeared.