I now halted the party until the moon should rise, and we threw ourselves
on the ground to take a temporary repose, the evening being cool and
agreeable. At 11 we again moved on, keeping a north course, under Mr.
Poole's guidance, partly over stony plains, and partly over plains of
better quality, having some little grass upon them, until 8 a.m. of the
morning of the 29th, when we stopped for an hour. As day dawned, Mr.
Poole had caught sight of the hill, as he thought, to the base of which
he wished to lead the party, and under this impression we continued our
northerly course at 9, until by degrees we entered a low brush, and from
it got into a pine forest and amongst ridges of sand. Mr. Poole had
crossed a similar country; but the sandy ridges had soon ceased, and in
the hope that such would now be the case he pushed forward until it was
too late to retreat, for the exertion had already been very great to the
animals in so heated and inhospitable a desert. In vain did the men urge
their bullocks over successive ridges of deep loose sand, the moment they
had topped one there was another before them to ascend. Seeing that they
were suffering from the heat, I desired the men to halt, and sending Mr.
Poole and Mr. Stuart forward with the spare horses and sheep to relieve
them as soon as possible, I remained with the drays, keeping Mr.
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