e purposes, we had no means of ascertaining; but the
aboriginal Australian considers it an act of positive hostility to
approach a camp in silence at night.

Latitude by a Coronae Borealis 14 degrees 59 minutes 6 seconds.

20th July.

Starting at 7.30 a.m., steered south-east over an undulating sandstone
country, well grassed, but very stony and thinly wooded; a low range of
rocky hills, nearly parallel to our route, lay to the south-west, and at
11.20 a.m. we camped at a fine running stream in a rocky ravine in this
range; the grass was, however, very dry and inferior near the range.

Latitude by a Coronae Borealis 15 degrees 4 minutes 31 seconds.

21st July.

The horses had shown an unusual desire to stray during the night, and as
we had reason to apprehend a visit from the blacks, they were kept close
to the camp; at 6.20 a.m. steered south-east, crossing a tableland about
250 feet above the camp, and at 8.0 a.m. descended by a rocky gully, in
which was a fine spring, into a grassy valley, which varied from a few
yards to a mile in breadth, bounded by sandstone hills, the strata of
which were not well defined, but appeared to have a considerable dip to
the west-south-west; in the upper part of the valley the creek was well
supplied with water, but as we advanced into the lower ground the channel
was dry, though increased to twenty yards wide and ten to fifteen feet
deep; at 11.15 a.m. one of the horses, Prince, was observed to be unwell,
and at 1.20 p.m. a second horse, Bob, was noticed to be suffering from
illness, having bled them, we proceeded down the creek in search of water
at which the party could halt, and found a small waterhole at 2.20 p.m.,
but the two sick horses dropped dead about 150 yards before reaching it;
their loads had been previously removed to the saddle-horses; as soon as
the camp had been formed Mr. Elsey and Dr. Mueller examined the dead
horses to ascertain the cause of death, and it appeared from the state of
extreme inflammation of the stomachs that they had eaten some poisonous
plant; but the food was too much comminuted to admit of the plants eaten
being recognised.

Latitude by a Coronae Borealis 15 degrees 12 minutes 46 seconds.

22nd July.

At 7.10 a.m. resumed our journey down the valley of the creek to the east
and east-north-east, passing a fine lagoon with nelumbium and a number of
pelicans; at 8.30 a.m. crossed two large creeks and passed a second
lagoon, 70 yards by 300