The next morning we deviated from our course on seeing a bare-looking rocky hill to the right of our line of march; we reached it in ten miles.  Searching about, I found several small holes or cups worn into the solid rock; and as they mostly contained water, the horses were unpacked, while a farther search was made.  This hill was always after called the Cups.  I rode away to other hills westward, and found a fresh-looking creek, which emptied into a larger one; but I could find nothing but brine and bitter water.  For the first time on this journey I found at this creek great quantities of that lovely flower, the desert pea, Clianthus Dampierii.  The creek ran south-westward.  I searched for hours for water without success, and returned to the party at dusk.  Mr. Tietkens had found some more water at another hill; and he and Gibson took some of the horses over to it, leaving Jimmy alone.

Jimmy walked over to one cup we had reserved for our own use, to fill the tin-billy for tea.  Walking along with his eyes on the ground, and probably thinking of nothing at all, he reached the cup, and, to his horror and amazement, discovered some thirty or forty aboriginals seated or standing round the spot.  As he came close up to, but without seeing them, they all yelled at him in chorus, eliciting from him a yell in return; then, letting fall the tin things he was carrying, he fairly ran back to the camp, when he proceeded to get all the guns and rifles in readiness to shoot the whole lot.  But Mr. Tietkens and Gibson returning with the horses, having heard the yells, caused the natives to decamp, and relieved poor Jimmy’s mind of its load of care and fear.  No doubt these Autocthones were dreadfully annoyed to find their little reservoirs discovered by such water-swallowing wretches as they doubtless thought white men and horses to be; I could only console myself with the reflection, that in such a region as this we must be prepared to lay down our lives at any moment in our attempts to procure water, and we must take it when we find it at any price, as life and water are synonymous terms.  I dare say they know where to get more, but I don’t.  Some natives were prowling about our encampment all the first half of the night, and my little dog kept up an incessant barking; but the rest was silence.

We used every drop of water from every cup, and moved away for the bitter water I found yesterday.  I thought to sweeten it by opening the place with a shovel, and baling a lot of the stagnant water out; but it was irreclaimable, and the horses could not drink it.

Mr. Tietkens returned after dark and reported he had found only one poor place, that might yield sufficient for one drink for all the horses; and we moved down three miles.  It was then a mile up in a little gully that ran into our creek.  Here we had to dig out a large tank, but the water drained in so slowly that only eight horses could be watered by midday; at about three o’clock eight more were