that
gave in the same day is quite as bad. I shall have to leave them behind;
it is only destroying other horses to force them along. I must also
reduce the weight the others are carrying, to enable them to get along. I
have had all the saddle-bags overhauled, and shall leave everything we
can possibly do without--even boots and clothes belonging to the party
have not been spared; all were quite willing to sacrifice anything they
had, with the exception of one who had a pair of new boots he had never
put on. I told him to put them on, and leave the old ones, but he
immediately told me that he had got a bad foot; I very soon cured him of
that by telling him if that was the case he might leave the new ones. I
have managed to leave about three hundredweight; many of the things I can
ill spare, but I hope by doing this to be able in a short time to push on
a little quicker. Light winds, variable.

Monday, 11th August, River Chambers. Two of the horses having strayed
this morning, it was a quarter past nine before I could get a start. I
had to proceed very slowly, in consequence of five of the horses being so
ill that they were unable to walk quickly. Proceeded on my former tracks,
cutting off the bends of the river. In some places it is very stony. Late
in the afternoon managed to get all the horses to the first camp on this
river. Light winds, south-east.

Tuesday, 12th August, River Chambers. Horses missing again this morning.
Started at half-past eight. Proceeded to the south-east end of the reedy
swamp, and at half-past three o'clock camped. An hour before halting, we
surprised a number of native women and children who were preparing roots
and other things for their repast. The moment they saw us they seized on
their children, placed them on their shoulders, and ran off screaming at
a great rate, leaving all their things behind them, amongst which we saw
a piece of iron used as a tomahawk; it had a large round eye into which
they had fixed a handle; the edge was about the usual tomahawk breadth;
when hot it had been hammered together. It had apparently been a hinge of
some large door or other large article; the natives had ground it down,
and seemed to know the use of it. Left their articles undisturbed, and
proceeded to the river Roper. My horses are still looking very bad. The
cause must be the dry state of the grass; it is so parched up that when
rubbed between the hands it becomes a fine powder, and they must deriv