Nevertheless, though thus convincing my understanding, I felt that it required greater moral firmness to determine me to retrace my steps than to proceed onwards.
Regarding our situation in its most favourable point of view, my advancing would have been attended with extreme risk.

If I had advanced, and had found water, all would have been well for the time at least--if not, the extent of our misfortunes would only have been tested by their results.

The first would have been the certain loss of all our horses, and I know not if one of us would ever have returned to the Depot, then more than 400 miles distant, to tell the fate of his companions to those we had left there.

On mature deliberation then, I resolved to fall back on the creek, and as my progress was arrested in this direction, to make that the centre of my movements, in trying every other point where I thought there might be a chance of success.
I saw clearly indeed that there was no help for this measure.

We had penetrated to a point at which water and feed had both failed.