miles and a half. They begin
to assume the shape of hills, which causes the travelling to be rather
rough. At three miles and a half the hills run close to the creek, and
are precipitous; the bed is very rough and stony--so much so that I could
not take the horses down it. Ascended a hill near the creek to see what
it and the country ahead was like; the hills being so rough that I could
not get the horses close enough to see if there was any water, dismounted
and scrambled to the top of the precipices; was delighted to see below me
a large hole of water. Sent the horses across a gully to another hill
still higher, while I descended into the creek; found the bed very rough,
having large masses of sandstone and ironstone, which rendered it
impassable for the horses. Found the water to be deep and beautifully
clear; proceeded down a little further, and saw another large one. The
hills close to the creek are very precipitous, and we shall have
difficulty in getting the horses down to water; the hills, where they
come close to the creek, are covered with spinifex. I shall therefore
require to camp the party at the mouth of the gorge, where there is
plenty of feed. The hill I had sent the horses to was so rocky they were
unable to cross it, and there being higher hills still on ahead, I have
left the horses with Auld, and, taking Thring with me, have walked to the
top of it to see what course the creek was taking, but they are all so
much of the same height and appearance that I can scarcely tell in which
direction it runs. There is an appearance of a large creek coming in from
the westward, and higher hills towards the north. I shall return and send
the party on to this permanent water, and try to find an easy road over
the ranges for them. I would have gone on to-day, but my horses are
without shoes, and some of them are already lame, and the shoes I brought
with me are nearly all exhausted; we have not been using any since
shortly after leaving South Australia. Returned to our last night's camp,
where we had left the canvas tank with some water that the horses did not
drink in the morning; gave them what remained, and proceeded up the
creeks to the last water we saw yesterday, where we arrived at sundown
and camped. Wind, south.

Sunday, 15th June, River Strangways. Returned to the Depot at Purdie
Ponds; found all well. Wind, south-east. Cool.

Monday, 16th June, Purdie Ponds. It was late before the horses could be
found