nly timbered plains, the grass
old and dry. At 11.22 made one mile and a half north-east to our outer
track below camp on creek. At 11.38 made three-quarters of a mile about
north-north-east up the creek. At 11.55 made three-quarters of a mile
north to last night's camp. At 12.26 p.m. made one mile and a quarter
north-east up the creek. At 1.3 made one mile and a half north to where
we supped last night. At 1.30 made one mile and a quarter north-east at
where we stopped and started again at 2 p.m. At 2.20 made one mile
north-east to the plain. At 3.10 made two miles and a half north. At 7.15
made ten miles and a half north-east to lookout-tree, which we made
steering by compass. At this place I gave the horses almost all that was
left of the water, as I thought that Fisherman would be able easily to
lead the way to Camp 16, and I being so confident of this paid no
attention to the course that he was leading me. At 11.30 I found that
Fisherman did not know where he was, so I gave my horse his head,
thinking he would go to water near Number 16 Camp; but he searched along
the bed of a watercourse for water and found a fine waterhole, where we
saw a fire on the banks, at which we thought there were probably blacks,
as boughs and a net had been recently placed around the water to ensnare
large birds. After we had got a supply of water we watered the horses and
went west-north-west about one mile and a half to a point on the plain
about half a mile distant from the watercourse, where we hobbled out the
horses and stopped till morning.

Saturday December 14.

The watercourse I named Clifton Creek. At 6.30 a.m. Fisherman and I left
our camp. At 7 made one mile east-south-east down Clifton Creek to where
we passed from left to right bank, which we then followed up a few yards
to the junction of a larger creek on the right side, where there is a
fine waterhole. At 7.45 made one mile east-south-east down the Clifton
Creek to where we stopped for breakfast, and started again at 9.35. At
9.42 went quarter mile south-east across a range to a creek with deep
empty holes. At 9.49 went quarter mile south-east to plain. At 10.40 went
two and a half miles south-east to a large river, with large waterholes
recently empty, surrounded by tall cabbage, pandanus, and large drooping
tea-trees. I ascertained afterwards that it was the O'Shanassy. One of
the cabbage-trees we cut down to get its centre sprout to eat. Started
again at 11.40. At 12