Page:Expeditions of Discovery in South Australia (IA jstor-1798142).pdf/16

 Mr. Eyre to the Colonial Secretary of South Australia.

"Having left Fowler's Bay on the 26th February, 1841, I arrived at the head of the Great Australian Bight, on the 3rd March. Here we halted four days to rest our horses, as they had been three days without water previous to our arrival at the head of the Bight. From this point we had 135 miles to travel without water, until we had passed the first of the remarkable line of cliffs mentioned by Captain Flinders. In effecting this passage, our horses were five days without water, and were consequently much reduced in strength and condition. The line of cliffs now receded some miles from the coast, but still continued running nearly parallel to it inland, and forming a perfectly level bank, visible beyond the low and barren country intervening between it and the sea; until, as we advanced, the whole merged in a succession of high sandy or stony ridges, covered by a dense and impenetrable scrub, and reaching to the very borders of the sea. To attempt a passage through such a tract of country was quite out of the question, and we were consequently obliged to keep very near the coast, and frequently to trace round its shores for many days, thus considerably increasing the distance we should otherwise have had to traverse. For four days we continued to travel steadily without finding water; on the fifth our horses were much exhausted, and one by one, three of our best dropped behind, and we were compelled to leave them to their miserable fate. The other poor animals still continued to advance with us, although suffering much from the almost total want of food as well as water. This dreadful state of suspense and anxiety continued until the afternoon of the seventh day, when, by God's blessing, we were once more enabled to procure water by digging among the sand drifts of the coast,—after having accomplished a distance of fully 160 miles; throughout which not a drop of water could be procured, even by digging.

"We had now seven horses left, but they were barely alive. For eight months previous to our leaving Fowler's Bay, they had almost incessantly been occupied in the labours of the expedition to the northward; and in that space of time had travelled over a distance almost incredible; and it required far more than the short month we were able to afford them at Fowler's Bay, to recruit their exhausted strength, or renew a spirit that was almost broken by incessant toil. It may readily, therefore, be imagined that the severe privations they endured in rounding the Great Bight had reduced them to perfect skeletons, without either strength or spirit. To me it was only a matter of surprise that a single horse should have survived such extremity of suffering. We were now at a place where we could procure abundance of water, but there was scarcely any grass for our poor horses, and the little they could find was coarse, sapless, and withered. To add to our difficulties, we were almost without provisions. In the early part of this journey, we were obliged to abandon the heavy part of our baggage; water-kegs, ropes, buckets, horseshoes, tools, medicines, pack-saddles, clothes, great-coats, and part of the ammunition, were all left behind. As we advanced, and our horses became weaker, it was necessary to leave even the provisions, instruments, and the remainder of our ammunition, light though they were; while we hurried on with the wretched animals, scarcely daring