The ridges had now become very
long, and varied in breadth from a few hundred yards to a mile. Box-trees
were scattered over them, and, although generally bare, they were not
altogether destitute of grass or herbage; the ridges of sand, on the
contrary, still continued unbroken, and several were covered with
spinifex; but on the whole the country appeared to be improving, and the
fall of waters being decidedly somewhat to the eastward of south, or
towards the Stony Desert, I entertained hopes that we had crossed the
lowest part of the interior, and reached the southerly drainage. We were
again fortunate in coming on another pond at 20 miles, where we halted,
the country round about us wearing an improved appearance. Still our
situation was very precarious, and we were risking a great deal by thus
pushing forward, for although I call the hollows (in which we found the
water) ponds, they were strictly speaking the dregs only of what had been
such, and were thick, black, and muddy; but the present aspect of the
country led us to hope for a favourable change, and on the morning of the
4th we still held our northerly course up the flat, on which we had
travelled the greater part of the day before. As we advanced, it became
more open and grassy, and at three miles we found a small supply of very
tolerable water in the bed of a shallow watercourse.
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