Day again very
hot. Wind from the west, with a few clouds, which I trust will bring up
rain.

Sunday, 21st September, The Bonney. Resting horses. Day very hot. Wind,
west; clouds broken up.

Monday, 22nd September, The Bonney. This morning sent Thring up the creek
to see if there is any larger water than this that can be depended on for
some time to come. Very hot. Clouds all gone. Wind variable.

Tuesday, 23rd September, The Bonney. Recruiting horses, etc. About eleven
o'clock Thring returned. He has been about twenty miles up the creek to
where it became much narrower and was joined by a number of small ones
coming from very rough and stony hills. Its general course is about
east-south-east. At four miles from this he found a pool of water four
feet deep, two hundred yards long, and thirty feet broad. There is a
considerable quantity of water all the way up, but shallow, and none of
the extent of the former one found. Should I be forced to retreat, that
will be a safe place to fall back on until rain falls. Day again
oppressively hot. Wind, east.

Wednesday, 24th September, The Bonney. Shortly after sunrise despatched
Thring to see if there is any water in Thring Ponds, or any between them
and this. I would have gone myself, but was quite unable to do so, being
very little better. One of my good horses has met with an accident in
feeding along the bank of the creek in places where it is very
precipitous. A portion must have given way and thrown him into the creek,
injuring him very much in the chest and other parts of the body. I am
afraid he will not be able to travel with me, which will be a great loss,
having so many weak ones already. Wind, south-east, with a few clouds.

Thursday, 25th September, The Bonney. Clouds all gone, no rain. Resting
horses, etc. Day hot, morning and evening cool, with strong wind from
east and south-east. I have been obliged to reduce the rations to five
pounds of flour and one pound of dried meat per week for each man, which
will leave me provisions at that rate until the end of January, in case I
should be locked in with the dry state of the season. The flies at this
place are a perfect torment. A little after three o'clock p.m. Thring
returned. There was no water in the Barker, none in the Sutherland, and
when he got to the ponds, found them quite dry also; he then returned two
miles to where there was some good feed for the horse, and camped for the
night without water, intendin