During the homeward journey from the Mundy, I had reflected much on the position in which I was placed, and spent many an anxious hour in deliberating as to the future. I had one of three alternatives to choose, either to give up the expedition altogether;--to cross to the Murray to the east and follow up that river to the Darling;--or by crossing over to Streaky Bay to the westward, to endeavour to find some opening leading towards the interior in that direction. After weighing well the advantages and disadvantages of each (and there were many objections to them all,) I determined upon adopting the last, for reasons which will be found in my Report sent to the Governor, and to the Chairman of the Northern Expedition Committee from Port Lincoln. [Note 8: Vide Chapter IX.] My mind having thus been made up, I knew, from former experience, that I had no time to lose, now that the weather was showery and favourable, and that if I delayed at all in putting my plans into execution I might probably be unable to cross from Mount Arden to Streaky Bay. The distance between these two points was upwards of two hundred miles, through a barren and desert region, in which, though among high ranges, I had on a former occasion been unable to discover any permanent water, and through which we could only hope to pass by taking advantage of the puddles left by the late rains; I therefore decided upon halting at the depot to rest the horses even for a day; and the party had no sooner reached their encampment, than, while one portion of the men took the horses up the watercourse to water, the others were employed in digging up the stores we had buried here, and in repacking and rearranging all the loads ready to move on again immediately. By the evening all the arrangements were completed and the whole party retired to rest much fatigued. Chapter VIII. PROCEED TO THE WESTWARD--CHANNEL OF COMMUNICATION BETWEEN LAKE TORRENS AND SPENCER'S GULF--BAXTER'S RANGE--DIVIDE THE PARTY--ROUTE TOWARDS PORT LINCOLN--SCRUB--FRUITLESS SEARCH FOR WATER--SEND DRAY BACK FOR WATER--PLUNDERED BY THE NATIVES--RETURN OF DRAY--DENSE SCRUB--REFUGE ROCKS--DENSE SCRUB--SALT CREEK--MOUNT HILL--DENSE SCRUB--LARGE WATERCOURSE--ARRIVE AT A STATION--RICH AND GRASSY VALLEYS--CHARACTER OF PORT LINCOLN PENINSULA--UNABLE TO PROCURE SUPPLIES--ENGAGE A BOAT TO SEND OVER TO ADELAIDE--BUY SHEEP.