Page:Expeditions of Discovery in South Australia (IA jstor-1798142).pdf/4

 38° 30'. Here I found very extensive reaches of water connected by a strongly running stream; in this vicinity, too, the Broughton received several chains of ponds from the N. and N.E., and then, taking a course considerably S. of W., it wound through some very broken hills of an open barren nature, after which the stream was lost in the sandy nature of its channel, and we only found water-holes at intervals; proceeding still further, we found its channel quite dry, but very wide and deep, and its course became changed to a north-westerly direction towards Spencer's Gulf, near which I left it, as the surrounding country was of a poor barren appearance. We then passed a tract of high open country, principally covered with prickly grass, and at intervals with small patches of scrub, crossing two running streams emanating from the hills to the northward, but which both became dry in their channels a little west of where we crossed them. After leaving the latter of these in about 33° 18', we passed under the base of some bare hills rising abruptly from the level of the land around, and forming the commencement of the range running to the head of Spencer's Gulf, and in which Mount Brown and Mount Arden are situated. Under these hills we continued our course on the west side, and found that as we advanced to the northward they increased in elevation, at first taking a course somewhat west of north, and afterwards inclining a little to the eastward of that point. For some distance we found numerous creeks taking their rise among the hills, dry generally in the flat country, but with springs and small water holes among the hills; these all fall westerly towards the Gulf, through a country more or less open, and divided by belts of scrub and pine brush, similar to what we met with near the Murray. As we advanced further to the northward the country gradually became more barren, and the intervals between the water much greater and more difficult of access, until we reached the head of Spencer's Gulf, about 16 miles beyond which I encamped my party for seven days, whilst I examined the nature of the surrounding country, as each day's stage had made the appearance of the country less promising, and as our supply of water and grass had become so precarious that I did not consider it prudent to hazard the safety of my party by pushing further until I had ascertained the certainty of our being able to procure a supply of both.

"On the 18th of May I halted the party in latitude 32° 6' at a small creek, where we were enabled to water our horses about two miles up among the' hills. From this point we made a careful and laborious examination, of the. adjacent country, and the result was our finding it impracticable to push any further inland to the N., or round the Gulf to the S.W., in so dry a season as the present. The range of hills we had followed under so long still continued, but as they stretched to the northward they had increased in elevation and in barrenness of appearance, and we rarely found even the dry channel of a water-course emanating from them. The last of these creeks that I found to the northward was about 26 miles from our dep6t, and though dry in the plains, had large reaches of very salt water in it among the hills, and in the ledges of rock where the water had evaporated we found a great abundance of pure white salt. We were, however, enabled to obtain a few quarts of tolerable water from a small hole dug by the natives in the gravel. Beyond