s being in the ponds. Wind north-west. Very hot.

Tuesday, 26th June, Large Gum Creek, with Sheets of Water. I have
resolved to follow this creek down to-day, and, if the water continues,
to follow it out. Started on a course 77 degrees, and at six miles
crossed the creek, which is running a little more to the north. There are
long sheets of water all the way down to this, the banks in some places
being steep, with the lower part formed of concrete, and the upper red
sandy soil, which gives me a bad opinion of it for water, if the concrete
ceases. Here we saw some blacks; they would not come near us, but walked
off as fast as they could. From the top of the rise we saw where they
were camped, on the banks of a large sheet of water; we passed on without
taking any more notice of them, and at nine miles, not seeing any
appearance of the creek, I changed my course to 25 degrees. At three
quarters of a mile cut it again, but without water in it; it is much
narrower and deeper, having sandy banks and bed. Changed again to 77
degrees, the creek frequently crossing our course, and at fifteen miles
saw there was no hope of obtaining water. The country is becoming more
sandy, and is thickly covered with spinifex and scrub. We crossed down to
the banks of the creek; no rising ground visible. I must keep closer to
the hills, and, as the day has been very hot, I shall return and camp at
nine miles from our last camp, if there is water; if not, I shall have to
camp a short way above where we saw the natives this morning. I do not
wish to get too near them, or to annoy them in any way. We could find no
water below where they were camped; I therefore pushed on to get above
them before dark. At half-past one o'clock, about three miles from the
creek, we saw where they had been examining our tracks, and as we
approached the creek their tracks became very numerous on ours. When we
arrived on the top of the rise, where we had previously seen their camp
and fires, we could now see nothing of them, neither smoke, fires, nor
anything else: it was then nearly dark. I concluded they had left in
consequence of having seen us pass in the morning, as natives in general
do. I was moving on to the place where we crossed the creek in the
morning, when suddenly from behind some scrub which we had just entered,
up started three tall powerful fellows fully armed, having a number of
boomerangs, waddies, and spears. Their distance from us was about two
hu