This ravine resembled in many respects the one we had first encamped in, but it was larger; and it was now impossible to travel either up or down in it on account of the great body of water which occupied its bed.

Just opposite to where we were this ravine separated into three smaller ones, running up into the sandstone ranges along which I had previously sought for a route whereby to turn and travel round their heads; but I had found the country so rocky, so impracticable, and devoid of forage that I felt sure it was useless to attempt to traverse it.
My next object was to find a passage out of the main ravine, between the points where the subsidiary ravines ran into it, and where it joined the sea.

If I could succeed in doing this our difficulties would, in a great measure, have terminated, for no other main ravine lay between us and the fertile plains which I had seen to the southward; and I knew that we should find no difficulty in traversing the intervening sandstone range, which consisted of a series of elevated plains or terraces, rising one behind the other.
With this view Coles and myself searched until after sunset, but without success.

We found the ravine bounded throughout its southern side by inaccessible cliffs.

Occasionally little branch ravines ran into it; but on penetrating for some distance up these they invariably terminated in precipitous cascades.