us that they procured it to the north-west, thus confirming my previous conjectures as to the existence of flint in that direction.  To our inquiries about water, they still persisted that there was none inland, and that it took them five days, from where we were, to travel to that at the head of the Bight.  No other, they said, existed in any direction near us, except a small hole to the north-west, among some sand hills, about two miles off; these they pointed out, and offered to go with me and shew me the place where the water was.  I accepted the offer, and proceeded to the sand-drifts, accompanied by one of them.  On our arrival he shewed me the remains of a large deep hole that had been dug in one of the sandy flats; but in which the water was now inaccessible, from the great quantity of sand that had drifted in and choked it up.  By forcing a spear down to a considerable depth, the native brought it out moist, and shewed it me to prove that he had not been deceiving me.  I now returned to the camp, more than ever disposed to credit what I had been told relative to the interior.  I had never found the natives attempt to hide from us any waters that they knew of, on the contrary, they had always been eager and ready to point them out, frequently accompanying us for miles, through the heat and amongst scrub, to shew us where they were.  I had, therefore, no reason to doubt the accuracy of their statements when they informed me that there was none inland!  Many different natives, and at considerable intervals of country apart, had all united in the same statement, and as far as I had yet been able to examine so arid a country personally, my own observations tended to confirm the truth of what they had told me.

In the evening several of the natives went down with the men to water the horses, and when there drank a quantity of water that was absolutely incredible, each man taking from three to four quarts, and this in addition to what they got at the camp during the earlier part of the day.  Strange that a people who appear to do with so little water, when traversing the deserts, should use it in such excess when the opportunity of indulgence occurs to them, yet such have I frequently observed to be the case, and especially on those occasions where they have least food.  It would seem that, accustomed generally to have the stomach distended after meals, they endeavour to produce this effect with water, when deprived of the opportunity of doing so with more solid substances.  At night the natives all encamped with us in the plain.

January 2.—­Having watered the horses early, we left the encampment, accompanied by some of the natives, to push once more to the north-west.  On the dray we had eighty-five gallons of water; but as we had left all our flour, and some other articles, I hoped we should get on well.  The heavy nature of the road, however, again told severely upon the horses:  twice we had to unload the dray, and at last, after travelling only fourteen miles, the