directed the water that remained in the skin to be given to the stock
rather than that it should be lost; but both horses and bullocks refused
it. During the first part of the night it was very oppressive; but about
an hour after midnight the wind shifted to the south, and it became
cooler. We resumed our journey at 7, and did not again halt until half
past 12 p.m. of the 8th, having then gained the Muddy Lagoon, at which
the reader will recollect we stopped for a short time after breaking
through the Pine forest about the same period the year before; but as
there was nothing for the animals to eat, I took them across the creek
and put them upon an acre or two of green feed along its banks. I
observed that the further we advanced southwards, the more forward did
vegetation appear; Mr. Browne made the same remark to me on his return
from Flood's Creek, where he found the grasses ripe, whereas at the Depot
Creek the ground was still perfectly bare.

About 3 a.m. we had a good deal of thunder and lightning, and at 7 the
wind shifted a point or two to the eastward of south. Notwithstanding the
quarter from which the wind blew, heavy clouds came up from the west, and
about 11 we had a misty rain with heavy thunder and lightning. The rain
was too slight to leave any puddles, but it moistened the dry grass,
which the animals greedily devoured.

On leaving the creek we kept for about eight miles on our old track, but
at that distance turned due south for two hills, the position of which
Mr. Browne had ascertained on his recent journey, and by taking this
judicious course avoided the Pine ridges altogether. We were, however,
obliged to halt, as the moon set, in the midst of an open brush, but
started again at day-break on the morning of the 9th.

Before we left the creek, near the Muddy Lagoon, all the horses and more
than one half of the bullocks had drank plentifully of the water in the
hides, in consequence of which they got on tolerably well. On resuming
our journey we soon cleared the remainder of the scrub, and got into a
more open sandy country, but the travelling on it was good; and at 20
minutes to two we halted within a mile of the hills towards which we had
been moving, then about 26 miles from Flood's Creek. Being in great pain
I left Mr. Browne at half-past three p.m., and reached our destination at
midnight. Two hours afterwards Mr. Browne came up with the rest of the
party. So we completed our first stage without