of Flinders, on the western coast of South Australia, and near the head of the Great Australian Bight.  This work was done entirely with horses, though I had two camels, or rather dromedaries—­a bull and a cow, which had a young calf.  There was no pack-saddle for the bull, and the cow being very poor, I had not yet made use of them.  After I had completed my surveys near Fowler’s Bay, and visited the remote locality of Eucla Harbour, discovered by Flinders and mentioned by Eyre in his travels in 1841, at the boundary of the two colonies of South, and Western Australia, I had to proceed to Sir Thomas Elder’s cattle and sheep station, and camel depot, at Beltana, to fit out for the new expedition for Perth.  Beltana station lies about 300 miles nearly north from the city of Adelaide, while Fowler’s Bay lies 450 miles about west-north-west from that city; and though Beltana is only 370 or 380 miles in a straight line across the country from Fowler’s Bay, yet the intervening country being mostly unknown, and the great salt depression of Lake Torrens lying in the way, I had to travel 700 miles to reach it.  As this was my first attempt with camels, I shall now give an account of my journey there with them and three horses.  This undertaking was my third expedition, and will be detailed in the following book.

BOOK 3.

CHAPTER 3.1.  FROM 13TH MARCH TO 1ST APRIL, 1875.

Leave Fowlers Bay. 
Camels and horses. 
A great plain. 
A black romance. 
An oasis. 
Youldeh. 
Old Jimmy. 
Cockata blacks. 
In concealment. 
Flies, ants, and heat. 
A line of waters to the east. 
Leave depot. 
The camels. 
Slow progress. 
Lose a horse loaded with water. 
Tinkle of a bell. 
Chimpering. 
Heavy sand-dunes. 
Astray in the wilds. 
Pylebung. 
A native dam. 
Inhuman mutilations. 
Mowling and Whitegin. 
The scrubs. 
Wynbring. 
A conspicuous mountain. 
A native family. 
March flies.

While at Fowler’s Bay I had heard of a native watering-place called Youldeh, that was known to one or two white people, and I found that it lay about 130 miles inland, in a north-north-westerly direction; my object now being to push across to Beltana to the eastwards and endeavour to find a good travelling route by which I could bring my projected large camel expedition back to the water at Youldeh, as a starting depot for the west.

Leaving the bay on Saturday, the 13th of March, 1875, I had a strong party with me as far as Youldeh.  My second in command, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Thomas Richards, police trooper—­who, having previously visited Youldeh, was going to show me its whereabouts—­and Mr. George Murray; I had with me also another white man, Peter Nicholls, who was my cook, one old black fellow and two young ones.  The old man and one young fellow went on, one day in advance and led the