After surveying this gloomy expanse of stoneclad desert we looked for some object on the N.W. horizon upon which to move across it, but none presented itself, excepting a very distant sand hill bearing 308 degrees, towards which I determined to proceed.  We accordingly descended to the plain, and soon found ourselves on its uneven surface.  There was a narrow space destitute of stones at the base of the sand hill, stamped all over with the impressions of natives’ feet.  From eighty to one hundred men, women, and children must have passed along there; and it appeared to me that this had been a migration of some tribe or other during the wet weather, but it was very clear those poor people never ventured on the plain itself.

Descended from our high position, we could no longer see the sand hill just noticed, but held on our course by compass like a ship at sea, being two hours and forty minutes in again sighting it; and reaching it in somewhat less than an hour afterwards, calculated the distance at thirteen miles.  As we approached, it looked like an island in the midst of the ocean; but we found a large though shallow sheet of water amongst the stones under it, for which we were exceedingly thankful.  From this point we crossed to another sand hill that continued northerly further than we could see, having the Desert on either hand.  Our horses beginning to flag, I halted at five on the side of the ridge, near a small puddle that had only water enough for them to drink off at once.

The morning of the 20th was bitterly cold, with the wind at S.S.E., and I cannot help thinking that there are extensive waters in some parts of the in terior, over which it came:  the thermometer stood at 42 degrees.  We started on a course of 335 degrees for a distant sandy peak rising above the general line of the horizon.  At a mile, one of the horses fortunately got bogged in a little narrow channel just like that in the grassy plain; I say fortunately, for we might otherwise have passed the water it contained without knowing it, so completely was it shaded.  In looking along the channel more closely, we discovered a little pool about three yards long and one broad, but deep.  At this we breakfasted and watered the horses, and then pushed on.  The lodgment of this water had been caused by local drainage, and was evident from the green feed round about.  Here again it appeared we had occasion to be thankful, for on this supply I hoped we might safely calculate for a week at least, so that we still held on our course with more confidence, keeping at the base of the ridge, and passing an extent of five miles through an open box-tree forest, every tree of which was dead.  The whole scene being one of the most profound silence and marked desolation, for here no living thing was to be seen.