inutes; latitude 20 degrees 48 minutes. Jemmy and I
started to overtake the party at 12.10; at 12.35 came south-east and by
east over well-grassed land for one and a quarter mile and observed the
recent tracks of a steer or cow; at 1.23 came south-east two and a
quarter miles to the river over two kinds of country--the first rich
undulating ground with good grass, the second clay flats covered with
grass and salt herbs and wooded with box. In that short distance we
crossed two watercourses from the east with good holes of water. Not
having found the tracks of our party we steered west-north-west and at
2.3, when we had ridden about two miles, we found them waiting for us. As
there was water and good grass here we encamped. Distance today sixteen
miles and three-quarters.

March 9.

As this was Sunday we rested ourselves and the horses; I make it a rule
to fare better on Sunday than on other days so we had for breakfast
damper, meat, and pigweed; for lunch, pea soup, and for dinner, cold rice
and jam. The country in this neighbourhood I named Hervey Downs.

March 10.

Today Mr. Bourne, Fisherman, and Jackey went in search of the beast that
I had seen traces of on Saturday.

March 11.

Mr. Bourne, Fisherman, and Jackey returned. From Mr. Bourne I got the
following report of their expedition:

After following the tracts of the beast for about two miles down the
river they found it had crossed and travelled out on the plains in a
south-easterly direction; followed tracts for twenty miles to where they
turned nearly east. Up to this point they found water in several places
but, in running the tracks for fifteen or twenty miles further, found
none, and very reluctantly turned back (feeling satisfied that the beast
had got too much start of them) at 4 p.m. to water and encamped. They had
no rations excepting an iguana and a few mussels. These downs consist of
loose brown loam, thickly covered with ironstone pebbles, and would be
very good country if the roley-poley were not so prevalent.

March 12. Camp 23, situated on the left bank of a shallow creek.

A carbine with a broken lock, belonging to Jemmy, the police-trooper, was
left behind here. We started this morning at 8.25; at 8.50 came
south-east and by east one and a quarter mile and crossed the river at a
place where the water has a fall of several feet over flags of sandstone;
at 11.40 came east over rich well-wooded downs for eight and a quarter
miles. Jemmy