These pests were in great numbers, and proved a sad annoyance, lighting upon us in every direction, and inflicting very irritating wounds even through clothes of considerable thickness.
February 28 .-- As we had a long distance to travel to the next water, and the sheep could not keep pace with the horses, I left the overseer and two natives to bring the latter after us, whilst I and the younger boy set off with the sheep.

At fifteen miles, we passed the place where the nine-gallon keg of water had been buried on the 5th January.

Upon digging it up, and taking out the bung, the water appeared discoloured and offensive in smell.

It was still clear, however, and the sheep drank hastily of it, and we did the same ourselves, but the horses would not touch it.

Leaving the cask out in the air with the bung out that it might sweeten a little against the overseer came up, we went on with the sheep to the undulating plains, arriving there between ten and eleven at night.
After hobbling the horses, and making a brush-yard for the sheep, we laid down, tired with the labours of the day.
March 1 .-- Travelling through the plains for a mile, we came to our former encampment, where we had left some stores, and a large cask of water; the latter had dried up to about two quarts, and was very horrible, both in smell and flavour; but still we were glad to take it, for, calculating upon finding an abundance in this cask, we had imprudently brought but little with us.