persons who wished to see the safe beginning of the march, and to accompany the explorers as far as their first night's halting-ground, caused much stir and bustle in Barladong; everyone turned out of doors to wave a farewell, and even in the schools "expedition" became a favourite word to set as a copy in the writing lessons of that week. But the season was neither propitious nor well selected, and, as there had lately been a series of rather dry winters, the supply of water in the bush proved scantier than ever, justifying the forebodings of experienced persons, who had feared that the time was inopportune for making fresh discoveries.
In some places it was evident that no rain had fallen for two years, and it soon became equally plain that, unless water could be found, the lives of all would be sacrificed by any attempt to penetrate the interior to a greater distance. It was therefore agreed that the idea of investigating the grass plains must be once more abandoned, and the baffled expedition retraced its steps, bearing a heavy load of disappointment, as well as a few bush curiosities picked up in the course of the march.
Two little puppies of the wild dog or dingo were amongst the live-stock of the return party, much to the disgust of the country settlers, who seemed to think that the explorers in their character of bearers of ill news needed not to have added this aggravation. "Was it not vexatious enough," they said, "that the expedition had failed to find new land, without bringing back native dogs to eat up people's sheep on such land as was there already?" Considering, however, that the Hampton Plains were dependent on surface-water only, the fact
