Strangely enough a lagoon of fresh water was found at the foot of the creek in which the spring was situated, and this satisfied their wants.  From this sheet, which was named Woodhouse Lagoon, the party kept a nearly northerly course across what Carnegie calls in his book “the great undulating desert of gravel.”  Over this terrible region of drought and desolation the party made their painful way by the aid of miserable native wells, found with the greatest difficulty, and a few chance patches of parakeelia,* until they were relieved by finding, through the good offices of an aboriginal guide, a beautiful spring which was named Helena Spring.  They were then seven days out from Woodhouse Lagoon, and during the last days of the stage they had been travelling across most distressing parallel sand-ridges.

[Footnote.] A ground plant which camels eat, and which assuages their thirst.

From Helena Spring Carnegie struggled on, intending to strike the northern settlements at Hall’s Creek where there is a small mining township.  On the way there, while still in unexplored country, they discovered one more oasis, in a rock hole, which was called Godfrey’s Tank, after Godfrey Massie, one of the party.  On November 25th, 1896, they congratulated themselves that they were at last clear of the desert and its desolation, having come out on to a well-watered shady river, running towards the northern coast.  But a sad accident turned their rejoicing into mourning.  Charles Stansmore accidentally slipped on a rock when out shooting, and his gun going off, he was shot through the heart and died instantly.  His friend Carnegie speaks most highly of him, and his sudden death on the threshold of success was a sad blow to the company.  Stansmore was the third explorer to lose his life from a gun accident.

At Hall’s Creek Carnegie heard of the misfortune that had befallen Wells, in the loss of two of his party, and he at once volunteered his assistance; but as search-parties had already started out, his aid was not required.  He therefore rested for a short time before again trying conclusions with the desert on the return journey.  Sturt’s Creek was by this time occupied and stocked, and the party followed it down until they arrived at its termination in Gregory’s Salt Sea.  From this point Carnegie kept a southerly course to Lake Macdonald near the South Australian border, passing on his way a striking range which he named the Stansmore Range, after his unfortunate companion.  Lake Macdonald was long thought to be a continuation of Lake Amadeus, until the exploration of Tietkins in 1889 proved its isolation.  From Lake Macdonald, Carnegie, who had now three horses in his equipment, kept a more south-westerly course towards the Rawlinson Range, the endless sand-dunes still crossing his track in dreary succession.  So persistently did they rise across his path that, on one day, eighty-six of them were crossed by the caravan during a progress of eight hours.  From the Rawlinson Range they kept on the same south-west course until they struck their outward track at Alexander Spring.  A fall of rain fortunately replenished the spring shortly after the arrival of the party.  They reached Lake Darlot on the 15th of July, and their desert pilgrimage was ended.