For The Next Few Days We Were Crossing Spinifex Plains
And Passing Distant Hills And Tablelands Of Sandstone.
The days were very
hot, but since rising from the hollow of the lake the nights had become
very much cooler.
We had come so suddenly into desert country that the
animals gave us great trouble, being unable, poor things, to find any
food. Late starts were the order of the day, camels having wandered miles
in one direction followed by Breaden and Warri, and the horses in another
followed by me.
On the 23rd we found ourselves again amongst the sand ridges, high, red,
and steep; we were now in lat. 20 degrees 30 minutes, and from that date
and point this awful country continued almost without a break, ridge
succeeding ridge with perfect regularity and running, as before, dead
across our route, until we reached lat. 24 degrees 45 minutes on June
2nd - a period of forty one days, during which we travelled 451 miles. Thus
it will be seen that in the far eastern portion of the Colony the ridges
of drift-sand extend over a greater length of country than in the centre;
and consequently our return journey was accomplished with greater
difficulties before us, and with an almost total lack of feed for our
stock - less even than on the first trip but to balance these drawbacks we
had cool nights, lighter equipment, and the advantage of previous
experience - and the incentive of knowing that our rations would not last
out unless we made all speed.
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