She swallowed up the water we brought with the greatest avidity; and I believe could have drank as much as a couple of camels could have carried to her.

We let her try to feed for a bit with the other three horses, and then started back for the tarn.

On this line we did not intersect any of the eucalyptus timber we had passed through yesterday.

The mare held up very well until we were close to the camp, when she gave in again; but we had to somewhat severely persuade her to keep moving, and at last she had her reward by being left standing upon the brink of the water, where she was [like Cyrus when Queen Thomeris had his head cut off into a receptacle filled with blood] enabled to drink her fill.
In the night heavy storm-clouds gathered o'er us, and vivid lightnings played around the rocks near the camp: a storm came up and seemed to part in two, one half going north and the other south; but just before daybreak we were awakened by a crash of thunder that seemed to split the hills; and we heard the wrack as though the earth and sky would mingle; but only a few drops of rain fell, too little to leave any water, even on the surface of the flat rocks close to the camp.

This is certainly an extraordinary climate.