The success which had attended my previous expeditions, and the great
encouragement received from the Government and public of each colony,
made me wish to undertake another journey for the purpose of
ascertaining whether a route from Western Australia to the advanced
settlements of the Southern colony was practicable. I also hoped to
contribute, if possible, towards the solution of the problem, What is
the nature of the Interior? My first journey, when I succeeded in
penetrating for about 600 miles into the unknown desert of Central
Australia, had convinced me that, although there might, and doubtless
would, be considerable difficulties to be encountered, there were no
insuperable obstacles, except a probable failure in the supply of water.
That certainly was the most formidable of all the difficulties that
would no doubt have to be encountered; but on the previous journey the
scarcity of water had been endured, not without privation and suffering,
but without any very serious result.
Stuart's great feat of crossing the continent from south to north had
been followed by other successful efforts in the same direction. Another
result was the establishing a line of telegraph from Adelaide to Port
Darwin. This might, therefore, be considered the eastern boundary of the
unknown districts, and, moreover, was the point of departure for the
South Australian expeditions in a westerly direction. It was also the
limit I desired to reach, and reaching it, I should achieve the object I
had so much at heart.
On the 18th of March, 1874, the expedition quitted Perth. The 19th was
Sunday, and, according to practice, we rested. Every Sunday throughout
the journey I read Divine Service, and, except making the daily
observations, only work absolutely necessary was done. Whenever
possible, we rested on Sunday, taking, if we could, a pigeon, a parrot,
or other such game as might come in our way as special fare. Sunday's
dinner was an institution for which, even in those inhospitable wilds,
we had a great respect.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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