left Camp 59 yesterday morning at 9. When we had come about nine and a
half miles in an easterly direction we crossed a creek with a northerly
course. We intended striking the creek afterwards and unfortunately did
not water the horses, but we got too far from it and neither found it nor
water although we travelled till 9 p.m. We halted then, thinking the
horses would probably find water which we thought was not far distant
from us, having heard immediately before we encamped the quacking of
ducks. We came today twenty-five miles in nearly an east-south-east
direction. Our path lay over rich undulating country from which a number
of hills were visible. The land was well grassed and thinly wooded at
most places. At others it was scrubby, thereby detracting from its value
for some time to come. Luckily the country we passed over after dark was
thinly wooded. The last few miles we followed a creek up in search of
water to this encampment, and this morning we fortunately found we were
within a few hundred yards of a hole of water. The horses requiring rest
after their long journey yesterday we remained here today. I sent Jemmy
with one of the freshest of the horses to see how the country was watered
to the east-south-east. On his return he reported having found water and
old dray-marks about six and three-quarter miles easterly from our last
camp. I made the meridian altitude of the sun A.H. 100 degrees 29
minutes; the latitude is by that observation 25 degrees 3 minutes. From
last camp we came here in about the following courses: 11.12 a.m. east
for five miles; 11.30 a.m. east-south-east for three-quarters of a mile;
12.15 p.m. ----; 1.15 p.m. east-south-east half south for two and three
quarter miles to where we crossed a well-watered creek; 2.10 p.m. east
for one and a half miles; 5.30 p.m. south-south-east for six miles; 9
p.m. south-east for eight miles: twenty-five miles.
May 2. Camp 61.
Jackey and Jemmy spent as usual the greater part of the forenoon in
mustering the horses. We left camp 60 at 10.20 this morning and came
twelve and a half miles in a south-east direction. The four miles we
followed the creek up from our last camp took us more easterly than
southerly. After leaving the creek we crossed a low scrubby sandstone
range and got to the head of a watercourse in which we found water on
following it down to a short distance. The country we saw today was very
scrubby with the exception of some thinly wooded p
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