stuart decided they could not get any further north because they were running out of food, water was scarce and the horses were in poor condition. he wrote "...i think it would be madness and folly to attempt more." the return journey was very difficult. stuart could only ride for a few hours a day; on one day he just dug a hole in the sand and curled up in it. head was so hungry he stole food, which left them with even less. their clothes were only torn rags and their bodies were covered in bruises caused by scurvy. stuart wrote in his diary that "my men have now lost all their former energy...and move about as if they were a hundred years old. it is sad to see them..." stuart wrote in his diary that sores on his hands had made them to painful to be used and he could only just sit in the saddle. he gums had become so sore and his teeth so loose that he could only eat flour boiled in water. he wrote on 16 may that "...i almost wished that death would come and relieve me from my fearful torture..." the medicines he had with him did not help.