et so I thought that after the rain of yesterday we
could not proceed, but it cleared up between 8 and 9, and at 10.20 we
were packed up and started; at 10.45 made one mile north by east to the
tree marked Lieutenant Woods with line and broad arrow; at 12 made three
miles west to Beames Brook over richly grassed plains slightly wooded
with stunted box; at 1.30 made quarter mile south by east where we
crossed Beames Brook. We found the crossing-place a bad one; when a few
of the horses crossed it became so bad that we had to unpack and unsaddle
several before we could get them onto the firm ground on the left side of
the brook. This is the first stream of water we have crossed since we
left the O'Shanassy River near its junction with the Gregory. Beames
Brook therefore must connect the Gregory with the Albert River, which
accounts for the great size of the latter. At 1.55 made one mile north by
west; at 2.20 made three-quarters of a mile north-west to Nicholson
River, which has got a broad sandy bed so full of tea-tree that we could
not see its breadth at this place; at 2.35 made half a mile south-east by
east; at 2.55 made three-quarters of a mile east back to Beames Brook and
to our outward track; at 3.4 made half a mile north-east to tree broad
arrow before L, where we had on outward journey dined off the young wood
of a cabbage-tree. We also observed the tracks of an expedition party
trending towards the depot; at 4.10 made three miles north-east down the
brook and then down the plain; at 4.45 made one mile and a half east to
outward track; at 4.50 made half a mile south-west to our outward Number
2 Camp (Post Office Lagoon) where we expected to have got letters but in
this we were disappointed.

Sunday January 19.

Yesterday we rested ourselves and our horses; at 6.20 a.m. my party left
the Number 2 Camp of outward, and 39 of inward journey, situated at what
I call the Post Office Lagoon, near a point on the left side of the
Albert River, just above the Barkly and Beames Brook. I stayed behind,
attended by Jemmy, until 7.30, and marked the camp tree as I had done at
the other camp with my brand, the number of the camp, and the date; at
7.30 we made about half a mile in a north-north-east direction over rich
undulating well-grassed country, slightly timbered with flooded box; at
7.45 made three-quarters of a mile north-east; at 8 made three-quarters
of a mile north-east by north over similar country; at 8.18 made one