rub, like that
passed through in the morning. To-day's journey has been over plains of
grass, through forest and scrub, without water. In the last five miles we
passed through a little spinifex, and the soil is becoming sandy. Wind,
south.

Thursday, 30th May, Sturt Plains. As I can see no hope of water, I will
leave Woodforde and Wall with the horses, take Thring with me, and
proceed ten miles, to see if there will be a change in that distance.
Went into a terrible thick wood and scrub for eleven miles and a half,
without the least sign of a change--the scrub, in fact, becoming more
dense; it is scarcely penetrable. I sent Thring up one of the tallest
trees. Nothing to be seen but a fearfully dense wood and scrub all round.
Again I am forced to retreat through want of water. The last five miles
of the eleven the soil is becoming very sandy, with spinifex and a little
grass. It is impossible to say in which way the country dips, for, in
forty-five miles travelled over, we have not seen the least sign of a
watershed, it is so level. Returned to where I left the others, followed
our tracks back, and at eleven miles camped. Horses nearly done up with
heavy travelling and the heat of the sun, which is excessive. It is very
vexing and dispiriting to be forced back with only a little more than one
hundred miles between Mr. Gregory's last camp on the Camfield and me. If
I could have found water near the end of this journey, I think I could
have forced the rest. It is very galling to be turned back after trying
so many times. Wind, east.

Friday, 31st May, Sturt Plains. Not having sufficient tethers for all the
horses, we had to short hobble two, and tie their heads to their hobbles;
and, in the morning, they were gone. I suppose they must have broken
their hobbles or fastenings; they will most likely make on to our outward
tracks. I have sent Thring and Woodforde to follow them up, while Wall
and I, with the other horses, proceed on our way to the camp. In two
hours they made the tracks before us, and I then pushed on as hard as I
could get the horses to go; being very anxious about the safety of the
party--for, on the first day that I left them, at about seven miles, we
passed fourteen or fifteen natives going in the direction of their camp;
I also observed, this morning, that they had been running our tracks both
backwards and forwards. At three o'clock we arrived, and found all safe;
they have not been visited by them, alt