t, on the 2nd February, to sketch in the ranges
to the eastward, and connect them with the hills I had lately crossed
over. I directed Lewis, who had been in the survey, to assist Mr. Stuart,
and sent Flood with them to trace down the creek I had noticed from
several of our stations on the northern ranges, as passing through a gap
in the hills to the eastward. They returned to the camp on the 4th, Mr.
Stuart having been very diligent in his work. Flood had also obeyed my
orders; but could find no water in the lower branches of the creek,
although there was so much in it nearer the hills. The party had fallen
in with a small tribe of natives, for whom Flood had shot an emu. Mr.
Stuart informed me that they were very communicative; but their language
was unknown to him. He understood from them that they intended to visit
the camp in a couple of days; but as I had some doubts on this head, and
was anxious to establish a communication, and induce them to return with
me to the camp, I rode on the 5th with Mr. Browne across the plain, at
the farther extremity of which they were encamped near a little muddy
puddle. Flood and Joseph in the light cart accompanied us.

Great as the heat had been, it appeared rather to increase than diminish.
The wind constantly blew from the E.S.E. in the morning, with the deep
purple tint to the west I have already had occasion to notice. It then
went round with the sun, and blew heavily at noon; but gradually subsided
to a calm at sunset, and settled in the west, the same deep tint being
then visible above the eastern horizon which in the morning had been seen
in the west. The thermometer ranged from 100 degrees to 117 degrees in
the shade at 3 p.m.; the barometer from 29.300 degrees to 29.100 degrees.
Water boiled at 211 degrees and a fraction; but there was no dew point. I
should have stated, that both whilst Mr. Browne and I were in the hills
and at the camp, there was thunder and rain on the 23rd, 24th, and 25th,
but the showers were too light even to lay the dust, and had no effect
whatever on the temperature.

The morning we started to pay a visit to the blacks was more than usually
oppressive even at daybreak, and about 9 it blew a hot wind from the N.E.
As we rode across the stony plain lying between us and the hills, the
heated and parching blasts that came upon us were more than we could
bear. We were in the centre of the plain, when Mr. Browne drew my
attention to a number of small b