ee, which was a very
welcome addition to our provisions. Strong easterly wind; passing clouds.

19th March.

Steered north 60 degrees east at 6.35 a.m., and followed up the course of
the creek, crossing the right bank at 9.0, when there was nothing but the
polygonum flat to mark its course; at 10.30 altered the course to nearly
east, passing a large sheet of brackish water, which appeared deep and
permanent at the lower end, but shallow at the upper part; at 11.20
encamped at a small pool of fresh water in a back channel, the creek
being brackish, and we were anxious to procure a supply of good water
before proceeding further, as the next three stages of the outward track
were now destitute of water. Strong easterly breeze; light clouds.

20th March.

At 5.55 am steered 110 degrees; at 6.20 struck a small creek with steep
banks; altered the course to 90 degrees, crossing two small watercourses
from the north with a little water in the deeper portions of their beds,
the general character of the country box flats and open grassy plains
near the creek. At 7.25 entered a large grassy plain extending north and
east for ten miles, and at 9.15 halted at a small watercourse which
retained a little water in a grassy hollow, our object in halting thus
early being to enable us to start fresh in the afternoon, and, should the
country continue open, to push on through the night, by which the water
could be reached before the heat of the sun was too great for travelling.
At 3.5 resumed our march and traversed level grassy plains extending one
to five miles on each side of our route; at 7.0 observed a native fire
about two miles to the north, from which we concluded that water existed
at no great distance, and at 7.15 were fortunate in finding a pool of
rainwater in a slight depression of the plain, and encamped. We could not
find sufficient wood near the camp to boil our tea, but were satisfied
with the discovery of a sufficient supply of water.

21st March.

We were again in the saddle at 5.15 a.m., and continuing our course north
73 degrees east, reached the limit of the open plain, which turned to the
south-east and extended to the horizon; at 6.40 entered the wooded
country which bounded the plain, and the soil changed from a rich
clay-loam to sandy and gravelly soil with fragments of sandstone, the
vegetation consisting of small white-gum trees, shrubby acacia, and
triodia, with a few patches of grass. The country graduall