The native dogs
alone wandered about, though they had scarcely strength to avoid us; and
their melancholy howl, breaking in upon the ear at the dead of night,
only served to impress more fully on the mind the absolute loneliness of
the desert.
_Jan. 31._ We came upon a creek, but could not decide whether it was the
one for which we had been searching, or another. It had flooded-gum
growing upon its banks, and, on places apparently subject to flood, a
number of tall straight saplings were observed by us. We returned to the
camp, after a vain search for water, and were really at a loss what
direction next to pursue. The men kept the cattle pretty well together,
and, as we were not delayed by any preparations for breakfast, they were
saddled and loaded at an early hour. The circumstance of there having
been natives in the neighbourhood, of whom we had seen so few traces of
late, assured me that water was at hand, but in what direction it was
impossible to guess. As the path we had observed was leading northerly,
we took up that course, and had not proceeded more than a mile upon it,
when we suddenly found ourselves on the bank of a noble river.
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